


What if... Was For Girls

by MagicalMilly



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akira is bi, Anxiety Attacks, Awkward Teenage Romance, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexuality, Dissociation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone else is the same, F/M, Flashbacks, Friendship, Genderswap, Guilt, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, No Details, Objectification, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team as Family, Violence, ann is not a prop, female main character, good guy sojiro, kawakami and sojiro are pals, like best dad sojiro, loving and supporting friends, mental health fun, morgana is a kitten, normal canon Kamoshida bullshit, rated for language and situations discussed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 98,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalMilly/pseuds/MagicalMilly
Summary: Fem Akira story. How a female MC would change certain story elements and interactions. This time Akira is the victim of the initial attack who is then blamed, not an interloper who tried to help.How does a female perspective and appearance change character interactions, both within the team and with the outside world?Will not include any of the major changes from P5 Royal (new characters, etc) as this was started before the announcement.





	1. April 9th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our hero, Akira Kurusu, moves to Tokyo after being wrongfully accused of a crime.

The sound of the sound of the wind splitting as the train rushed through the countryside was often cited as a great sleep aid for those who commuted or traveled often. However, for Akira Kurusu, it only served as a reminder to how her life would never be the same. 

All the lights and noises just kept reminding her of the hustle and bustle in that loud police station. All the tests that were done. The shrugs the officers gave and the dismissive waves to get her out of their sight when she tried to ask what was going on. The hospital visit where she received pitying glances from her nurses. Where there was a fight in the hallway between her head nurse and the police officer who brought her in.

She saw the results that the testing they did showed, and yet, despite the proof that he did attack her, here she was, on a bullet train with a criminal record to boot. In defending herself and reporting an assault, she was branded as the assailant. He had told her to not waste her time trying to report it, but she was always told to report. 

Look where it had gotten her. Probation and sent away from home. Cast away from her family to live with a stranger in a city that scared her more than anything else. 

Reaching up to twirl her hair, a long standing nervous tic of hers, her hands grasped at nothing. 

_ Oh yeah. _ She had forgotten. In a nightmare induced fit last night, she cut all of it off. Now sitting in a curly poof on top of her head, it barely reached past her ears. The initial cut wasn’t clean, but it had woken her up and out of the flashback well enough to let her clean up the cut. 

She knew that, if her parents still cared about her, they would have flipped at her dramatic style change, but they had cast her out in all but name the moment the news came out. The false news. 

_ Why didn’t they believe her? _

\---

She was jarred out of her troublesome thoughts by the sound of her station being called over the intercom. 

Shaking her head, she grabbed her bag and took her first steps into Tokyo. 

Wide eyed, she was startled at just the scope of everything around her. She got shoved ahead by the people behind her who had no patience for a country bumpkin trying to get her bearings. After the 2nd person pushed her along, she sneered at them after flinching back, and started her way towards her new home. 

\---

Arriving in Yongen-Jaya, she gave herself a moment to lean up against a building.  _ How freaking big did this stupid place need to be? I mean, I guess it’s the capital and all that, but ugh, it’s freaking confusing.  _ She pulled out her phone, trying to remember the name of the guy she was looking for. 

“Sojiro Sakura? Who can I ask about him?”

Looking down the small corridor she was in, she saw a handful of people milling about and chatting,  _ don’t want to interrupt them if I can help it _ , a police officer,  _ hell no _ , and a dog. 

After petting the dog, she started to just walk up and down the small passageways.  _ Sojiro Sakura, Sojiro Sakura, Sojiro Sakura. _

Ducking into an alleyway to try and calm down, as she was starting to wonder if she would ever find this damned man, she overheard the mail carrier a few buildings down say the name she’s been waiting for all day. 

Running up to him, she waved to grab his attention. “Sir? Did I hear you mention a Sojiro Sakura? I’ve been told to find him but I’ve been having no luck!”

Startled, he turned to her, almost dropping the package in his arms. “Um, yes, ma’am. This is his residence, but he isn’t answering the door. So, I’d imagine that he’s at his cafe an alleyway or two down, LeBlanc!”

“You said it’s called LeBlanc? Thank you so much!”

“Uh… no problem? Have a nice day?” He called out as she sped away from the alleyway. 

\---

After a little bit more wandering, she found herself in front of a rustic looking coffee shop.  _ LeBlanc. _ Mentally patting herself on the back for finding the place, she took a final steeling breath and then opened the door. 

Fitting her impression of the outside of the shop, LeBlanc was the definition of homey and rustic. An ancient couple sat with a cup of coffee each talking about the news while the employee,  _ Sojiro? _ , relaxed with a newspaper on a stool - his own cup of coffee within arms reach. 

If she still had any friends from back home, she would have gladly described it to them as picturesque. 

But she didn’t. 

Realizing that Sojiro (she assumed) wasn’t going to react to her entrance, she awkwardly took another step inside and purposefully hit a stool with her bag. 

“Hm? Welcome to LeBlanc, what can I get you?” Folding the newspaper under his arm, the man sat up straighter and turned to the door ( _ finally _ ). 

“I’m looking for a Sojiro Sakura? I was pointed in this direction.” Putting on a shy smile, Akira looked at the kind employee. 

“That’s me. You must be the girl I was told about. I forgot that was today. Sit down for a moment, I gotta close up real fast and then we’ll get you set up.”

He fully stood up now, showing that he could tower over Akira (she didn’t realize it, but she took a solid step back at that realization), and gently walked over to the table with the elderly couple. 

“Hey, I hate to do this, but I gotta close up early today. Prior plans. I’ll see you guys in a few days?”

“Oh, it’s no problem, Sojiro. These things happen. Glad you’re helping out the youth.”

“Agreed. We’ll be out of your hair, no problem.”

The two slowly got up and exited the store. Sojiro took the time as they were leaving to brew a cup of coffee for Akira. 

As the bell announced the departure of the older couple, Sojiro placed the cup in front of Akira and sighed as he slid on the other side of the booth. 

“Okay. I need you to tell me what happened to get you sent here. And I want  _ your _ version of the events. Because how you describe the situation will change how the next conversation goes.”

“Um… What?”

“I’m not gonna say anything more until you answer. Um, I don’t need like crazy details or anything if that makes you uncomfortable. I just wanna know what happened.”

“Oh, uh. Okay.” Akira started fiddling with the handle of the cup.

“I brewed that because I could tell you were nervous. It’s a good flavor for calming. Feel free to drink it. Hot drinks are good for soothing.”

“Thank you, sir. Um. Okay. I can do this.”

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

“I didn’t attack anyone. I was attacked. Badly. This man, some bald guy with weird glasses. He told me not to report, but I did because I had to give  _ some  _ reason when I went to the hospital. And everyone there was so nice until some cops showed up, and then there was a giant fight between the nurses and the police and next thing I know I’m being yanked out of the bed I’m in and dragged to the police station. And then they decided, despite all the tests that showed that I was the victim here, I was arrested for assault and, I don't know, maybe even prostitution. That I attacked him when he refused my services. But I don’t have services and I.”

“Drink the coffee. Take a deep breath. And let me make you some curry.”

As he stood up to walk to the kitchen part of the back, he looked over his shoulder, “And, don’t worry, you’ve said enough. I was looking at your files that they gave me, and I really didn’t think it all lined up. And what you told me more than confirmed it.”

Akira was shocked. But, with her breaths still rather shaky, she slowly picked up the coffee and took a tentative sip. The warmth filling her body did help to calm the chills. 

“Thank you. You’re the first person to believe me. My parents just kicked me out. My school expelled me. Everyone left.”

Sojiro scowled, shaking his head as he pulled out ingredients to cook. “Well, that just shows a lot about them, doesn’t it?”

Cutting up some tomatoes, Sojiro took a quick glance up at Akira, still sitting at the booth. “Okay, so, you passed my test earlier. And, so, I’m gonna give you a choice about how you want to live while you’re here.” He moved on to shop some chicken. “You can either move into the spare room in my house a few alleyways down, or you can live above the shop here.”

Not expecting the acceptance, or the choice, she just kind of stared agape at the man toiling over a cutting board. “But, why?”

“Because I can tell you’re a good kid. And, to be honest, I have a girl of my own. I don’t tell people about her, so you better not start blabbing about her. But, well, she’s in a somewhat similar boat to you. Only she never leaves her room. So I wanted to make sure you were safe to bring home.” He sighs as he starts to put stuff in the pot. “Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that your sort of situation isn’t new to me, and I want to help out. But, I know that you may not feel safe living with an unknown man after all that’s been said and done. So, if, you want, I’ll be able to help you move into the attic in the store so you can have your own place and not feel trapped.”

He awkwardly scratches the back of his head after saying all of that. He grabs the ladle from behind the stove and a bowl and scoops up a giant serving of the curry. After placing the food in front of Akira, he sits back down across from her. 

“I saw that you were uncomfortable with me when you first saw me. I promise I’m not offended by that, my adopted daughter screams in fear whenever I so much open her door to say hi due to trauma. I know it isn’t her fault, and I know it isn’t your fault. So, I want you to be comfortable. I’ll make sure you don’t, like, die or anything. But otherwise, I’m gonna give you your space. I’m no helicopter dad.”

“If, well, if you’re sure. I think I’d like to live alone over here, maybe.”

“I thought you’d say that. I mean, you’re a high schooler. You want your freedom. So, it’s a bit musty and dirty up there. So, if you’re up to it, you can start to clean it up up there? You might have to sleep in my guest room tonight just because of that, but after your school meeting tomorrow we can get you set up for good upstairs.”

Akira turned her head to the side in confusion, “I have a meeting tomorrow at school?”

“Yep. About 10 am. Gotta introduce you to the principal. I’m just gonna warn you now, they’re probably not going to be nice to you. They were very, hmmm, curt, with me about how they felt about your criminal record. So, you just got to grin and bear it. I know it sucks, but luckily you shouldn’t have to deal with the principal much outside of tomorrow.”

“Thanks for the warning, sir. And thank you for the curry, it was amazing.” Akira stood up from the booth and grabbed her plate. “Um, sir? Where can I put this?”

“Oh, let me take that.” He grabbed the dishes from her. “The sink is right over here. But you can worry about that later, I’ll leave it to soak for now. For now, here’s some cleaning supplies for upstairs. I’m gonna leave my number on the counter down here and run back to my place. I gotta warn my Futaba, that’s my daughter, about what’s going on and get the guest room set up.”

Scribbling down his number, he grabbed his jacket and hat and headed to the door. “I’m gonna lock the door so you know you’re alone. I’ll give a ring at the store phone here when I’m on my way back, that way you won’t be surprised. Give me a ring or a text if anything pops up!”

The bell rang to announce his departure. 

Slumping onto a stool once she realized that she was alone, she gave herself a moment to go through that emotional wreck of a conversation again. She was living here. Her new guardian was a nice guy. He had a traumatized adopted daughter that he was already taking care of. He was letting her live where she wanted. He was good at making coffee and curry. She was going to be verbally berated tomorrow at a school meeting with the principal. 

Going up the stairs to her eventual new home, she couldn’t stop focusing on the most important part of it though,  _ she had an ally. Someone believed her. _

\---

Much later that night, after a very exhausting and thorough scrubbing session. Akira was walked over to the Sakura residence by Sojiro. The guest room was upstairs, in between his room and Futaba’s. After a quick apology as to any noises coming from Futaba’s room (“she’s a computer geek and plays games nonstop”), he gave her a very soft blanket and wished her goodnight, promising to knock on her door in the morning before breakfast to wake her up.

Curling up on the bed, she fell asleep shortly thereafter with dreams of prisons and velvet and blue smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I started a new fic. This has been sitting on my mind for a few weeks now, and I finally decided, fuck it, let’s write it. So, yeah female MC. I know it isn’t like, a crazy new idea. And, to avoid burnout, I’m not gonna go rehashing the shit that isn’t different. Like, not much Velvet room stuff, because the twins and Igor ain’t changing their spiel just because the MC now has boobs. But yeah, I kept thinking about interesting story changes, like how Kamoshida would react differently, to how the whole criminal charge would probably be changed a bit and all of that shit. So, it will be going over the main storyline and anything I feel is relevant. And I felt Sojiro being different made sense with his character, he is a sympathetic man, and he feels for this MC because she reminds him of Futaba. 
> 
> Also, I know that I changed the backstory to have the MC have been raped and then blamed for fighting back and reporting it and shit. I just felt that fit the narrative of everything. But, fear not, this isn’t going to be like, a whole SA and rape and graphic details and rated E for trauma and sex show. And like, Kamoshida will be a LOT more interested in Akira, but nothing icky. I promise. Nothing worse than what was actually in the game will be in this story. 
> 
> And I used akira because i looked up the 2 names, and I found out that Akira is a more unisex choice. While Ren, when used for girls, usually was Rin. And I knew I would forget to type Rin instead of Ren.
> 
> Let me know if you guys like it! I found it fun to write.


	2. April 10th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira meets a future friend or two, goes to school for the first time, gets treated like shit, and gets comfy in her new room.

Akira came to with a quiet knock on the door, a gruff “good morning,” and the smell of breakfast floating its way through the door. 

As she was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she heard the same routine happen to the next room over, only this time returned with a quiet, “eep!” from the inhabitant. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the events of the past day were slowly coming back to her. She was sleeping the guest room in the Sakura residence. Sojiro believed her. The daughter, who was next door, was a recluse due to her own past before being adopted by him. She was going to a meeting at school where she was going to be yelled at for being a bad person ( _ when she wasn’t _ ). And then she was going to fully move into the attic above Leblanc.

Going through a few stretches to wake up her limbs, she had to remind herself that she shouldn’t ask about sports teams. Out in the boonies, she found a love for gymnastics as a young kid, and while there wasn’t an official school team due to the size of the school, they allowed her to have sports credit by participating in the nearby city’s team. However, unless the school offered her the spot, she didn’t want to press her luck.

Grateful that she had the foresight to unpack her uniform before falling asleep last night, she quickly got herself ready for the day. She spent a moment trying to think about how to fix up her hair as to not look like a slob, but also not like she’s trying too hard, as they already didn’t like her at the school.  _ No need for a good first impression when they already decided she was bad. _ Well, she was thought about it until she remembered that she chopped it all off.  _ Guess finger combs will do. _

She had moved to the bathroom (“second door on the right” Sojiro had told her while she’d sleepily nodded back) and was detangling her hair while trying to remember where she had put her toothbrush when suddenly another figure appeared behind her. 

A shorter girl with large glasses froze at the realization that she was not entering an empty bathroom. Wide-eyed, the girl (Futaba - Akira’s brain filled in) backed up slowly towards the doorway. 

“Oh, sorry! I’ll be out in just a moment. Didn’t mean to get in your way!” Akira nervously told the girl, hoping to not scare her back into her room. “Just let me brush my teeth real fast and I’ll be downstairs.” 

“Uh. Um. I-it’s okay. I’ll j-just be o-over here. So-sojiro t-told me that you’d-d be here. S-sorry if I surprised you, I-i’m just not used t-to p-people.” Futuba (confirmed) stammered out. 

Beaming at her (Sojiro was not exaggerating at Futaba’s shyness), Akira made a point to be careful in her movement speed as she finished getting ready. Finishing up, she carefully put everything to the side (as to not be in Futaba’s way) and turned back to the girl, who was still just outside the doorway. 

“I think I’m all done. Thank you so much for letting me use your bathroom to get ready. I really appreciate it. I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast?” She slightly tilted her head to accentuate the question. 

“Uh. W-we’ll s-see! Bye!” Futaba shoved her head down and scurried in, slamming the door behind her as Akira stepped out. 

_ Well, I guess I exhausted her social skills for the day. _ Akira shrugged and headed downstairs. 

She knew that Sojiro was able to make a good cup of coffee and a good plate of curry, and she was delighted to see that was not the end of his talents. In front of her was a delicious smelling meal that she could not wait to dig into. 

However, she only saw a serving for her, with Sojiro already eating his. 

“Is, um, Futaba not joining us?” 

“She, doesn’t really. I just leave her a plate after I’m done and she gets to it eventually. I bet she’s still sleeping right now, to be honest.”

“She’s up. I chatted with her in the hallway just now. She seems really nice!”

Sojiro stared in shock for a moment at that, shook his head, and went to serve up a plate for Futaba. “Um, dig in while I bring this up to her then. It should only be a moment.”

\---

Getting to the school without a hitch, Akira was stuck with the anxiety of the meeting that was quickly approaching. 

“Hey, girl, breath already. You gotta do this. And I know you can. You went through that farce of a court case, you can put up with a few minutes of a couple of adults being rude. Stand up straight and don’t let them win. I’ll try to do most of the talking.” Sojiro leaned down and spoke firmly into her ear. Akira jumped initially, but was overall grateful for the words of encouragement. 

Stopping to take a final breath right in front of the principal’s office, she let her mind go blank. Just like she had been for the past month before moving here.  _ Clear your mind. Be impassive. Don’t let them win. _

Sojiro carefully reached around her to firmly knock.

“Come in.” A male voice (the principal she assumed) called from the other side. 

A large man shaped like Picasso’s rendition of an egg sat behind a large desk in front of her. To the side of him was an exhausted-looking lady in her mid-20s.  _ Probably her homeroom teacher. _

“Hello, miss. I am Principal Kobayakowa. I am in charge of Shujin Academy, and I have kindly chosen to allow you to attempt to finish your schooling here. This is your last chance, so you don’t you dare mess it up!” His voice raised gradually over his last sentence, ending at an almost bark. 

Akira twitched in recoil and then froze, retreating into her own head. Sojiro glanced down and sighed, preparing himself to subtly nudge her if she needed to respond. 

“This here is your homeroom teacher, Kawakami. She is going to be in charge of your education and  _ will _ be letting me know if you should show yourself to be a stain on the school’s reputation. We are a very recognized school, and will not hesitate to remove someone who is a deterrent. Do I make myself clear?” 

Sojiro poked Akira’s back. She nodded.  _ Good, she’s paying enough attention to be able to respond correctly. _

“On that note, the… things… that led you to this situation will not be accepted here!” Another flinch from Akira. “If I hear of any violence from you, any students accepting  _ favors _ from you, any sort of promiscuity, I will not hesitate to talk to your probation officer to escalate the situation. I don’t allow sex workers into my school. And I’m not going to allow your immorality to continue!” He finished with a bang on the desk. 

With a small eep from Akira, Sojiro decided to step in. 

“Thank you, good principal. And I don’t think that you’re going to have to worry much about my charge here, her and I had a long talk yesterday about expectations and rules and the guidelines of her probation. She will not be causing any problems like the one that sent her here, but, please, feel free to let me know of any issues you find out and I will fix them.” He replied with his smoothest poker face as if he were serving that pompous ass from the next neighborhood over. 

Content with Sojiro’s answer, the principal leaned back in his seat and grinned. “I’m glad that you understand the situation. Kawakami here will show you to your classroom and give you your instructions for tomorrow morning.” 

He dismissed everyone else with small, shooing motion that could have been construed as a wave. 

As Kawakami led the way to Classroom 2-2, she noticed both her new student and their guardian lose some of the tension in their shoulders. To be honest, some relief came to her own body after leaving that office. This kid didn’t seem like the sex worker type, and she seemed scared stiff to be in that room. Also, unbeknownst to the rest of her coworkers, she knew she was the best to take care of this student, and the best to be able to see signs if there was untoward activity happening.  _ I may not have been able to help you, Takase, but I might be able to help her. _

“So, here’s the classroom that you’re going to be a part of starting tomorrow, Kurusu-san. However, when you first come in, I’m going to ask you to go to the teacher’s office so I can give you your ID and check all of your paperwork for the last time. If you could, could you spend a moment looking around while I talk to your guardian for a moment, please?” Kawakami cheerfully requested. 

Akira turned her head to the side and then shrugged and went to see what books were on the bookshelf and the view from the window. Meanwhile, Sojiro squinted his eyes in confusion as Kawakami approached him. 

“What do you want?”

“Well, that was a brusker reply that I anticipated, but whatever. That just means I was right that you were being super flowery to my boss. Thing is, he’s really not exaggerating about kicking her out if she acts up. I don’t want that to happen while she’s honestly adjusting. Let’s just say I know that if she did get caught up in sex work, it isn’t a situation people usually put themselves willingly at such a young age and that she may slip up from learned behaviors. Just a few things I learned from my psych classes in college.” She slipped into her no-nonsense mode at the drop of a hat.

“That’s very kind of you, but what’s the point you’re trying to get at?” He responded, glad that the two of them were speaking frankly to one another.

“I would love your contact info so I can inform you of issues I see before they become big enough to warrant my boss’s attention. Once again, I had to learn this stuff in school due to them being larger societal issues and such. So, I want her to be able to succeed.”

“Once again, that’s kind of you. And, though you won’t say it, I’m going to guess a close family member of you went down that path and so it’s a big thing for you? I’m not gonna push, but it makes me feel better about you being her teacher. Here’s my number and my cafe’s information, as I’m usually there during the day.”

“Thank you. And, uh, yeah. It’s a bit of personal crusade of mine.”

Tipping his head down to her to end the conversation, he walked over to Akira and cleared his throat to get her attention. 

“You guys all done?” Her voice was timid. 

“Yeah, we’ll be on our way now if you’re ready to go.”

“Yeah, I’m ready to finish getting things set up!” Akira gave the first honest smile that Kawakami had seen from the girl. 

\---

Gathering all the required paperwork for Kurusu-san, Kawakami finished up her extra work for the day. She was heading back to the teacher’s office to have them ready for the next morning when she was stopped by Kamoshida. 

“Hey! Sadayo-chan!”

Forcing a pleasant smile to her face, she turned around to greet him. 

“Hi there, Suguru-san. How’s the volleyball team doing today?”

“Great as always, you know we’ll be Nationals ready!”

“That’s good to hear.” And she started to continue walking away.

“Hey, wait. Where you going so fast?”

“It’s nothing, I’ve just got to put away the transfer student’s paperwork so I can find it easily tomorrow. I just finished showing her around the school.”

“Ah, the whore?”

“Don’t call students that!”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m a sports guy, I don’t think before I speak.”

A glare was his response.

“Sorry. Chill. I mean, she was caught for sex work. I’m just calling it how I see it.”

“Regardless, you cannot call students that. Thank goodness it’s a day off and there are no students around! You know we’re trying to keep her past quiet to help her transition to a better life.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll keep my trap shut around the students about that. Mum’s the word and all that.”

“Good. I don’t want her to have any harder of a time getting used to this place. She seemed so distant and nervous. Every noise set her off, it was weird.”

“Hmm. Really? Strange.”

Kamoshida got a strange look on his face and then got up from the bench he had sat down on. 

“Well, I’m gonna head back to practice. I’m sure the break time I gave the girls is up now.”

“Good luck!”

As Kawakami continued to head towards the teacher’s office, Kamoshida grins and walks away with a plan formulating in his head. 

\---

After a short lunch out, where Sojiro calmly relayed all of the important information from that morning’s meeting to Akira so she could hear it while not freaking out, the two got back to their main task at hand: moving Akira into Leblanc. 

A quick trip to the store to grab a few supplies and knickknacks that Sojiro hadn’t thought of beforehand later, the two made short work of the task at hand. Since Akira had moved most of the clutter and organized most of the rest last night, all they had to do was ferry the garbage to the dumpster and organize her new things. 

They celebrated their victory with some more curry downstairs. 

“Hey, kid.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I bet you want to know what Kawakami and I chatted about.”

“I have to admit that I was slightly curious. But, I wasn’t gonna push.”

“Good on you, kid. But I’m gonna tell you anyways. She warned me that the principal is a hardass, but that you seemed to give her a good first impression. She’s gonna be looking out for you, and she’s gonna tell me directly if she fears anything is going amiss instead of telling the principal. She’d rather deal with things quietly than having her boss make a big fuss about things. And, honestly, that’s for the better.” He put his hand on his forehead. “I really don’t want to have to deal with that man any more than necessary. He seemed a bit over the top.”

“He seemed a bit, I don’t know, hardboiled to me.” Akira quipped back with a giggle. 

“Oh. No. Don’t tell me you think you’re witty now?” He groaned. “Two bratty girls who think they’re the funniest ever.”

The giggles turned into a full laugh. 

And Sojiro could only beam in response. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Here’s a second chapter! I hope you guys like it! I’m trying to get a full day into a chapter and will be doing my best to follow the “100% Completion” run through of a game. Because seeing all of the things and shit. Plus, it’s a real structure to follow. Though, it may be tweaked if I feel I need to. Or want to. I do what I want.
> 
> So yeah, day 2 is done! Please let me know how you like it! I really like the Akira that I’m creating right now. She’s a spunky gal who is currently dealing with some shit(™) but she wants to be good. 
> 
> See y’all later! Don’t forget to hit me up at my tumblr that shares this username if you want to chat or anything. Also comment on here, because I like those.
> 
> <3


	3. April 11th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira attempts to go to school on time. Fails. Find a magic castle instead and makes a few friends along the way.

Waking up this morning was rather different than yesterday. 

Yesterday was jolting, but also full of warmth. Today was quiet, yet somewhat disorienting. 

This was the first time she could really think of that she was the only person living in the same space. She was alone. Safe. Not only hidden behind an industrial-sized lock instead of the residential model, but also because this would be the last place someone would look. 

Who would think that a young girl was living alone above a coffee shop that she didn’t even own? Who would look for someone up here? 

This was honestly the first time she had felt truly safe since everything had happened. As warm as the Sakura residence felt, she still was afraid. 

Shortly after she finished getting for the day, she got a text from Sojiro letting her know that he was on his way over with food. She smiled to herself about how lucky she had gotten to be placed with him, and then spent the next few minutes still trying to think about how she wanted to deal with her hair. While she had made sure to tidy it up after her impromptu cutting spree, it hadn’t fully hit her just how short she had cut it. She had seen guys at her old school with longer hair than hers, if she was to be entirely honest. But, she was okay with that. It made her feel safer. 

_ Something less for them to grab. _

She slung her school bag over her arm at the sound of the cafe’s door opening downstairs and went to greet Sojiro. 

“Good morning!”

“Morning! I brought over more… eggs… Are you wearing the guy’s uniform?”

“No! I checked, I’m allowed to pair the pants with the shirt. It feels better.”

And, if she was to be honest with herself, she felt more secure in it. Her last school skirt situation didn’t go so well, and so she felt better. Plus, she knew that her teacher knew about her supposed wrongdoings, and felt that this would put her at ease. Pants were not promiscuous. Boys probably wouldn’t even try to ask her out. 

“Well, if you’re sure it’s okay, you do what’s most comfortable for you. Just don’t get in trouble, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I’m letting you know that I know that wasn’t a promise.”

She gave a devilish smirk as she continued to dig into her food. 

\---

The subways were a special form of torture made just for her. 

There was so much going on and no time to stop and really try to figure things out on her own time. There were so many bodies being rubbed up against her, and there was nothing that she could do about it.  _ Why does this place have to be so crowded? _

And don’t even get her started on Shibuya Station! That was its own form of hell. How was she supposed to find anything? Ask a police officer? Heck no! She eventually found her way because she spotted a similarly checkered skirt in the distance. 

As she slipped her way onto the train just before the doors closed, she gave herself a moment to collect herself. This was going to be her morning commute, so she had to get used to it. There was no room for weakness and she couldn’t afford to fail now. Looking for the girl that she had followed onto the train, she eventually spotted her. 

Though, honestly, she didn’t know why it had taken her so long, the girl stood out. She was beautiful. Golden blonde hair in cascading pigtails. She naturally stood with innate confidence like a model. Until she noticed someone looking at her or bump into her, then she’d look despondent and small.

That didn’t suit her. Akira knew nothing about her, but a girl who was able to stand tall when no one was looking shouldn’t look small as soon as she felt noticed.  _ She must feel weird for being blonde here. Maybe I can be her friend if she also feels awkward. _ The best way for an outsider to make a friend is with another outsider, right?

Keeping an eye on the other girl for the rest of the ride, Akira followed her out of the tunnels towards the school. Unfortunately, once she left the tunnels she was met with rain, which led her to run towards an overhang to get out of the way and stay dry while she figured out how to get to Shujin from here. Fortunately, the blonde girl was doing the same thing. 

Clearing her throat to try and get the girl’s attention, she was taken aback once again at her beauty. It was a very clear reminder for her that she was not the straightest human in Tokyo, and she was awestruck. 

“Oh, hello there! You must be new.” Perfect blue eyes shined with kindness.

“Uh, yeah. Hi, nice to meet you.” Fuck, voice shakes now, Akira?

“Oh, you’re a girl? Not many choose to wear the slacks.”

“Yeah, I just… I don’t feel too safe in skirts. Men, y’know?”

“Men.” She nodded solemnly. 

The two shared a quick giggle at that moment of solidarity. 

“I might have to try your trick sometime. Lord knows I get too many men staring at me.”

“It’s why I chopped all my hair off.”

“Too bad I need it for my afterschool job. Hard to be a model with short hair.”

“Oh, you’re a --”

Before Akira could continue the conversation, a car pulled up. As the window rolled down, Akira noticed her new friend’s demeanor completely shut off. Not just become smaller, shut down. 

“Hey, let me give you a ride to school!”

“Okay.” The stared directly at her feet as she walked dutifully into the car.

With a glare towards Akira, the square-jawed man in the car looked at her as well and jerked his head towards the back seat, “You want a ride as well?”

She considered saying yes, if just to keep the other girl company with this man she obviously wasn’t a giant fan of. But, she could tell the guy was inviting her to not look bad, and not at all because he actually wanted her to join him. And, to be honest, she didn’t think that she’d be able to not be rude to him if he tried anything even remotely resembling a flirt near her, even towards her friend. Especially towards her new friend, let’s be honest. 

Sensing that this wasn’t a new thing for the blonde, she shook her head and started to walk towards Shujin herself.  _ She’ll be able to make it to school safely. I don’t even know if she’d want me to help, heck, I don’t even know her name. _

Before she even cleared the underhang she had hid under, she heard a shout over her shoulder. 

“Screw you, Kamoshida!”

Since she was not expecting that in the slightest, she immediately lept back in fear. And into the wall, where she hit her head, and then slid to the floor.

“Holy shit! Are you okay?”

Thankfully, this new stranger seemed to understand wide-eyed fear. 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I scared you didn’t I? You let me know when you’re ready to get up and I’ll help you up. In the meantime, I’ll sit down next to you so it doesn’t look weird.”

Akira silently nodded back.

Noticing her instinctive twitch away from him, he sat down with a bit of space between them. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry for scaring you. I’m a bit of a loudmouth, I know. Didn’t mean to startle you. I’ll remember not to yell at you in the future, okay? By the way, I’m Ryuji Sakamoto! Who’re you? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“H-hi. I’m Akira Kurusu.” 

Ryuji stared back entirely shocked. 

“You’re… you’re a chick? No wonder Kamoshida didn’t even look twice at you.”

“Sorry I decided to wear the pants. I like them better than skirts. But, who is Kamoshida?”

“I didn’t mean to insult you or nothing. Just I can’t really think of any other girls who chose the pants, maybe just one or two… and your hair is super short. Now that I know you’re a girl though, I can see it. And your voice is real pretty too!” He blushed once he realized what he had said. 

She blushed in return, “Um, thanks. It’s no big deal, I was hoping to not gather too much male attention anyways. It’s part of the reason I transferred anyways.”

His eyes narrowed to slits, “Some guy tried some shit, didn’t he? You don’t have to answer. Trust me, I’ll make sure none of that shit goes down here. Stay away from Kamoshida.”

“But, who is Kamoshida?”

“He’s the shitty gym teacher. But he’s a pervy teacher and horrid to his students. But he’s leading the volleyball teams to Nationals, so everyone is looking the other way. He thinks the whole damn school is his effing castle.”

There was a weird beep on her phone, but she chose to ignore it.

“He… p-preys on the st-students?”

“Yeah, so you just gotta do your best to not be alone with him. Yell for me if you need any help, I’ve got beef with him anyways.”

Nodding, she started to try and get up. 

“No, no, no. I told you I’d help you up, what sort of shitty guy would I be to not help you after I accidentally knocked you down?”

Holding his hand out, he grabbed her outstretched hand and hoisted her to her feet. Smiling as he did a quick arm stretch, he led the way to Shujin. 

As she followed him, she couldn’t help but look him over.  _ Muscular, fit, he’s a bit of a rebel with a heart if I gauged that last conversation right. He dyes his hair, but was quick to accept my reasoning and had warm eyes. Damn it, why is everyone I’m meeting so freaking cute? Does Tokyo only have hot people? _

“Hey, so we’re gonna cut through this alleyway here because we’re running close on time. I’m letting you know so you don’t get freaked out, okay? If you’re not cool with that, we can go the longer way.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine. Thank you for the warning!”

As she ran through the alleyway to catch up with Ryuji, she couldn’t help but wonder where all the other students were. She saw them earlier going in this direction, but now there wasn’t a single checkered pant to be seen. 

As she was musing on that, she accidentally ran into Ryuji’s back. 

“It seems it’s my turn to run… into… you…” She slowly stared up at the menacing castle ahead of them.

“I hope this doesn’t sound dumb, but, uh, I don’t remember there being a castle here. I’m sure it looked different when I visited yesterday.”

“That’s because this isn’t right! Where is Shujin!?!” He bellowed, and then swiftly spun around. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, did I scare you again?”

Her eyes had gone a little wide, and she had taken a step back from him at his exclamation. She quickly took a stabilizing breath. “I mean, it shocked me a little, but I can’t be mad at you for this. What the hell is happening here?”

“I’m really sorry again. I don’t want to make anyone scared.”

_ Man, he’s really sincere in his whole ‘not scaring’ me thing.  _

“It’s fine. Anyways, we should go in. We can’t discover what happened to Shujin overnight just standing here.”

“Yeah! Let’s go!” He was buzzing with excitement as the two approached the castle gates. 

Ryuji made an over the top display of opening the doors to let Akira in, succeeding in making her giggle. 

Well, until they saw the interior. 

“Is this for real? They really went all out for this, huh?” Ryuji’s jaw was on the ground. 

“Are you sure we went the right way? Although, I don’t recall seeing a castle anywhere near Shujin, and I know I would have noticed this while we were driving around trying to find parking.”

“Exactly! I know this is supposed to be Shujin. But, where is everyone?”

Almost as if his question had summoned them, they were then approached by some knights in armor. There was something… off about them. They definitely set off Akira’s Uncanny Valley feelings. And they were not respecting her wants for a personal space bubble. 

\---

The next thing she knew, she was waking up on top of a hard mattress. 

“Oh shit, you’re finally up! Akira, are you okay?”

Slowly coming too, her vision was slowly unblurring the blob of yellow that was talking to her. 

“Ryuji, right?”

“Yep! Oh, and I snagged your glasses! Here they are! I just didn’t want them to get smushed for in case you moved in your sleep or anything.”

A genuine smile crossed her face for a quick moment while she slid them back on. “Thanks a lot, Ryuji. I really appreciate it.”

Beaming like the sun, Ryuji puffed up from the positive words and put a hand out to her. 

“Want some help getting up? You’ve been out for a bit.”

Akira nodded and reached her hand out to him again.

“Thanks! Now, let’s figure out what the hell is going on.”

“Yeah! So, we’re in a jail cell. I can’t open the doors, and I tried to not call much attention to our cell with movement or noise until you got up. I wanted you to not be messed with.”

_ He’s so freaking considerate. _ “Okay, now let’s search this cell to see if we can get out without calling attention to ourselves.”

As she started to look around, her heart started to fall deeper and deeper into her chest. They were trapped in a Medieval dungeon, complete with chains on the walls. Her panicking was slowly evolving into a full-on attack.  _ How are we ever going to escape? Am I going to die here? _ She slumped to the ground with her head in her hands as she hyperventilated. 

Ryuji lept to crouch in front of her. “Hey, hey. Look at me. It’s gonna be okay. We’ll explain that we were just trying to get to school and ended up here. It’ll be okay. Breath with me, okay. In and out.”

He started to work her through a deep breathing exercise, which did help her to calm down. The peace gained from that, however, was not long lived.

Voices could be heard approaching from down the way. 

“Hey, you stay there and stay quiet, okay? I’ll talk to them. You gotta conserve your strength in case we got to run for it, aight?” He threw her a wink and waited for the guards to approach. 

She didn’t hear their conversation too well, she was still trapped in her head. But, she did start to take notice when a third figure approached. 

A man wearing a crown and royal cape, and not much else was peering through the cell doors at the two of them.  _ That’s the man who gave me the creeps earlier! The one with that girl!  _ Why he was wearing just a pair of speedos was beyond her, but she did  _ not _ want to call any attention to herself. Ryuji said that he was pretty sure Kamoshida thought she was a guy, and with the vibes he was giving off, she was more than fine with that. If she kept quiet, she would be able to get out of this while staying off of his radar.

Well, until he entered the cell. And started to threaten them both. And punched Ryuji. 

“All who oppose me deserve death! This is my castle! Prepare to die!”

“Akira! Run! Just run! Let me deal with him!”

She froze in place, she couldn’t just leave him here to die. 

Her hesitation, however, cost her. The soldiers that were accompanying Kamoshida had approached her and slammed her into the wall, pinning her there. 

Ryuji, watching this, went wide-eyed at Akira’s predicament and tried to leap up to help her have some space. He instead got slammed down by another soldier and was stepped on by Kamoshida. 

“Oh, you want to help your friend here? I’d be more worried about yourself. You see, I’m planning on killing you first. But, maybe I should kill your friend over here first so I can watch you suffer.”

Twisting underneath his weight, Ryuji kept trying to fight against the hold to get back up to his feet. He had to help her. 

Meanwhile, Akira, to put it lightly, was not taking this well. Trying to force herself to not panic again, she instead looked around the room, trying to find anything that could be used to save her. It was getting harder and harder to focus though, with the soldiers pinning her further and further into the wall. 

_ I won’t be able to survive this. _

**_Are you giving up that easily? Was all of this for naught?_ **

_ I don’t want to, I just… I don’t see a way out. _

**_Just like you didn’t before? When you tried to help that woman escape?_ **

_ He just went after me instead! It was the worst day of my life! _

**_But you saved her. Do you regret saving her?_ **

_ No. I would do it again in a heartbeat. _

**_Good. Do you want to tip the scales one more time to help your good new friend?_ **

_ Yes. I can’t let anyone be hurt when I can step in. _

**_Very well...I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I...Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!_ **

As the voice in her head crescendoed, her whole body wouldn’t stop fighting the sensation that was rolling through her. Unlike every loud voice she’d heard since that day, she instead stood stronger the louder it echoed through her head. 

Reaching up to her face to grab the mask that had taken the place of her glasses, she instinctually ripped the mask off. While the pain was barely tolerable, she knew that this was needed for her to continue forward, to survive today. And, this was pain of her choosing, no one else's. 

As the blood splattered to the floor, she rolled her neck back up with a grin. 

She smirked as she looked over the cell and saw everyone staring at her in awe. The guards and Kamoshida looked like they were going to shit themselves,  _ good,  _ while Ryuji looked on in awe. 

“Now, I believe I would like you to get your hands off of my friend.”

Kamoshida started to take a step back, but the guards charged forward to try and restrain her again.

“Let’s show them who they’re messing with!  **Adler!** ”

An otherworldly lady stood above Akira now. A smart red waistcoat over a black ensemble, tailcoats flying in the wind that she was making with the summoning. Thigh-high scarlet boots with knives for heels. Flowing black hair with a single scarlet dahlia attached to a white band keeping it out of her eyes. 

**_“Worthless fools. Let’s destroy these pathetic souls and get out of this wasteful space, shall we?”_ **

“Let’s.”

\---

The moment the battle was over, she grabbed Ryuji and ran out of the cell, locking Kamoshida in. 

“Holy shit! That was incredible!”

“Heh, thanks. That was terrifying. But I feel pretty damn awesome.”

“But, like, dude, what happened to your outfit?”

She looked down and started from shock. Instead of her uniform, she was now wearing a  _ sick _ red trenchcoat with a black belt that went past her knees, with a full black turtleneck and leggings underneath. Black knee height boots that had a small heel to help her almost reach Ryuji’s height. Black gloves covered her hands but almost felt like a second skin. Reaching for her glasses, she instead hit the mask again. Taking it off, she turned it around and gave it a closer look. It looked just like a fancy masquerade mask: black with white highlights. 

“I have no freaking idea what happened, but I love it.”

“You love this?”

“Hell yeah, I scream confidence right now? I look just like Carmen Sandiego and, honestly, that’s goals.”

Before Ryuji could respond to that, there was another flash of blue fire and Akira was back to her normal Shujin attire. 

“What just..”

“I think I only get to look cool when I summon Adler now.”

“Adler…?”

“Yeah, that cool demon thing. She was my… persona? Persona. She’s neat.”

“She saved our butts. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“No problem, thanks for trying to keep them away from me. Now, let’s get the hell out of here before anyone else shows up.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Miss Demon Summoning Lady.”

“Har har. This way.”

Ryuji shook his head wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into and then chased after her.

\---

After a few less than comfortable close calls with the guards of this place, Akira was at wit’s end. 

“We need to get over this stupid bridge, but it won’t budge! How do we get it down?” She was furiously kicking the bridge to accentuate her questioning.

“I don’t know! But, maybe we should stop kicking the bridge and hide? I don’t like standing out here like this.” Ryuji was getting nervous and was focusing intensely on a pebble near him on the ground. 

“Okay, okay. Let’s find a hole to hide in while we wait for the guards to drop the bridge.”

“Or I could tell you how!” A small squeaky voice came from behind them, causing both of them to jump.

“Hey! Who are you?” Ryuji snapped towards the voice as he approached the cell that it was coming from. Akira was at his heels, peeking over his shoulder. 

“Yeah! I-I’m not afraid to f-fight you!” Akira yelled over his shoulder.

However, when they were in front of the cage, all of their bluster was sapped away. 

“Yo, ‘Kira, it’s a cat.” Ryuji gestured with his head. 

“I’m not a cat!” The small, rather cat-like critter retorted. 

“Okay, okay. We apologize, you just seem to have similar physical features to a cat. But, if you’re not a cat, what should we call you?” Akira responded, trying her best to not gush about how cute the little thing was.  _ Keep a straight face, keep a straight face. _

“My name is Morgana. And I’m a human, an honest to god human! Some weird stuff happened to make me look like this!” He was, literally, hopping mad about his situation.

“Okay, Morgana, you say you know how to get out. How can we trust you?”

“Um, I’m locked up, aren’t I?”

“But then how do you know the way out, Monamona?”

“It’s  _ Morgana _ . And, my cell is right here, I’ve seen them activate the bridge!”

“I bite. Let’s get him out of here. And, if he ends up being a snitch, we’ll boot him into the water. I’m sure the two of use can overpower him.”

“True, even if he is a human, he’s small. I can take him.”

“Fine, whatever, just open up please!”

With a small flourish, Akira opened up the cell door for Morgana and gestured towards the bridge. 

With a small, little “Nyeh heh heh” Morgana lept up to the Kamoshida statue and pulled the jaw down, causing the bridge to be more like a bridge and less like a wall. Meanwhile, Akira was still doing all she could to not react to the fact that the not-cat had a cat laugh.

“Um, are you okay, Fuzzy Hair? You seem weird.”

“Y-yeah. J-just a lot to take in.” She turned towards Ryuji and beamed while trying not to audibly laugh before putting her straight face back on and turning around to Morgana again.

“Yeah, it’s been a hell of a day. Let’s go! Direct us, Mornona!”

“ _ MORGANA!” _

The three of them, sadly, didn’t get too far before being stopped by some guards. Akira started to panic because she couldn’t figure out how to call Adler back to battle mode. But, before she started to just claw at her face in hopes that it would cause something to happen, Morgana lept in front of them. 

“Let me take care of these losers! PERSONA!” Behind him, a cat version of a bandito lept to action, rapier at the ready. 

“Zorro! Garu!” With a swipe of his sword, wind burst and cut through the enemies. 

Watching this in awe, Akira tried her best to follow suit. Telling herself that she was going to fight regardless, she reached inward and plead with Adler to share her power. 

**_It’s always yours to grab. You just need to believe that you’re strong enough to use me to fight, and I will be there with you._ **

“Adler! Eiha!” The surge of power she felt after hearing that push from Adler finally cause Akira to feel the mask in front of her face once more. Placing the mask back on her face, she pointed toward the floating pumpkin thing that she wanted to trounce next only to be surprised that there was a knife firmly grasped in her black glove. 

Morgana was staring in shock at Akira now, amazed at the transformation. “You’re also Persona user? Well then, let’s go!” He lifted up his scimitar and lept towards the enemy to slice it to pieces. 

\---

After the battle, the three slipped into a nearby room that Morgana coined as a “Safe Room” so they could decide their next move. 

“Before we get into the deep talk, Morgana, I just gotta know, where does the scimitar go?”

“Zorro takes it with him into the Sea of Souls. And then brings it back to me when I need it.”

“Can I do that with other items?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Sweet.”

\---

The rest of the dungeon escape went off without too much of a hitch. 

Morgana gave them a quick rundown on what the everloving fuck was going on. Akira was able to adapt to calling upon Adler with ease whenever fighting started. Ryuji was trying his best to keep up: with what was going on, with the group, and with taking a mental inventory of everything and everyone that they were passing. While it had taken him an extra moment to truly understand that they were in some sort of weird dreamlike mental state of Kamoshida’s, once he understood that, he was determined to figure out everyone that Kamoshida was wronging. He finally had something to go off of to bring him down in the real world. 

Leaping through the duct at the entrance, Ryuji couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way for him to come back here to look into things more. You know, once they weren’t running for their lives. 

As they made it to the other side of the moat, the world started to twist and turn and slowly peel away from the hellscape that they were in to the insanity that was Tokyo once more. They peeled into the alleyway across from the school to get their bearings.

“Oh shit. That was effing insane. How did we survive that?” Ryuji was squatting against the wall, shaking his head. 

“I have no freaking idea. But, shit.” Akira had pulled out her phone.

“What?”

“Look at the time. That whole adventure took place in real time.”

“Are you for real? Dammit! How are we gonna explain this?”

“I’ve got an idea, and I need you to go with me on this.”

“Okay?”

“So, I got lost this morning. While going around in circles, you ran into me. You offered to help me out. But, um, I got sick and lightheaded, because I was overwhelmed by the city and lost! And so you helped me out. And, when I started to get better, it had been a long time, so you helped me grab food to give me strength after a freak-out. And, um, then we started to head over here! Since it’s about 12, that doesn’t sound completely unreasonable?”

“Holy shit. How did you think of that so fast? I was just gonna say I saw a castle.”

“Dumbass, they’d never believe that. This plan allows for me to be a scared little girl in the big city, and makes you not look like an asshole.”

“Damn. That’s incredible. Okay, let’s go then!”

They nodded to each other and started towards the gates. They were then stopped by one of the administration members, who was glaring down at them.

“Sakamoto! You’re late, again. Why couldn’t you find the effort to be on time?”

“Uh, I…”

“I’m sorry, sir! He was helping me! I got lost and then didn’t feel well and he helped me out!”

“Him? Help? Ha. Oh, wait, you’re that Kurusu girl, aren’t you? Couldn’t bother to wear the skirt? Must be trying to hide who you are, but I he was helping you to continue your garbage from your last town.” Akira flinched. “Get in here and your teacher will decide your punishment.”

As they started up towards the stairs to Shujin, Kamoshida decided to step out and see what the commotion was. 

“Ah! Sakamoto! How good to see you again! You’re awfully late for today, any reason why?”

“I already told them, you ass. I was helping the new kid out when she got sick.”

“Be respectful to Mr. Kamoshida!”

“No, no, it’s alright. If he was  _ helping _ her out, he must be on edge.” He gave a fake smile to placate the administrator and then turned to Akira. 

“You’re the new transfer student? I’ve heard a lot about you. I hope that you’re feeling alright after what must have been a rough morning. Do you need any help? If you come with me I can get you all sorted out.” He smirked as he said that.

Ryuji’s eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to shout at him exactly what he thought of that plan when Akira stomped on his foot. 

With a tiny smile, she looked up at him, “Thank you for your offer, sir. However, I know that my teacher has been waiting for me all day, and I would feel horrible to make her wait for a single minute longer, So I’ll be heading to her office now. Thank you.” She gave a short bow and headed inside without another glance at him

Ryuji smiled as she went by and ran in behind her. 

\---

“So, care to tell me why you were this late today? And, why you showed up with Sakamoto?”

Akira shrunk under Kawakami’s stern look. “I’m sorry, Sensei. I left on time, I was doing it all correctly. But then I got lost somewhere near Shibuya. I hadn’t ever been there before, and with the extra craziness following the train crash, I got lost. I ran into Sakamoto, and he offered to help me out. But, because I was so lost and I didn’t know what was going on, I kinda had a panic attack. And may have passed out. He stayed with me during it, and helped me out. And, by the time he felt that it was safe for me to get up (he was really overprotective the whole time), it was late and I was feeling really weak. So, then he brought me to get some food cause he “didn’t want me to pass out again, but from being weak this time.”

At her explanation, Kawakami softened up. “That’s a pretty good reason. And I’m glad that he thought to get you food as well since you missed lunch. I’ll make sure to let his teacher know that he was actually doing a good deed for once for his tardiness.” 

She then sighed, “I do have to let you know though, for some unknown reason, somehow your history got out. The whole school knows.”

Akira stopped breathing.

“I don’t know who did it, and I want to thrash whoever leaked it. But, because of that, you need to be careful if you’re seen alone with a guy. I don’t want people making rumors when I know you’re trying to get better. I trust how your morning with Sakamoto went because, well, his family situation leads that to be believable. I’m not going to tell you more, but I am going to say that I’m not going to make a fuss of this situation. Just be careful. And be careful with Sakamoto, he was a bit of a rebel and wildcard last year, and wouldn’t be the best for your reputation. Albeit, I guess it can’t get too much worse.”

Kawakami reached over and gave Akira a hug.

“Don’t let anyone else know that I hugged you, but I know you’ll be able to overcome this. You let me know if anyone gives you a rough time, okay?”

  
  


Akira gave a very quiet nod. 

“Okay! So, with the whole train crash thing that happened, school is actually getting out early today. So, we only have one more period left. I’ll use it to introduce you to your class! So, let’s go.”

Taking a few last steeling breaths, Akira got out of the chair and followed Kawakami to her new classroom. She followed her up to the front of the class, looking down at her feet.

“Okay, class! This is Akira Kurusu, the new transfer student. She was feeling rather ill this morning, and so she had to come in late. Please welcome her.”

Akira gave a small wave, “It’s very nice to meet you all.” 

“Okay, Kurusu-san, there’s an open seat near the window behind Takamaki-san. Can those around her share books for today?”

Looking to where her new seat was, she was excited to see her friend from the station was there. But, she was looking more sullen than ever. 

As she passed through the room to get to her new seat, she was overwhelmed with the whispers surrounding her. 

“Look, it’s the whore.”

“I’m surprised that she’s allowed to go to school here.”

“Look, she’s sitting with the other floozy. That side of the room is way too easy.”

“Wonder if I can buy her services?”

“She’s wearing the pants? She must be trying to hide how easily she spreads her legs.”

As she passed Takamaki’s desk, the girl looked at her and whispered, “It’s you.”

Akira sat down spent the rest of the day trying not to cry.

\---

After that trainwreck of an introduction, Akira just wanted to go home. Today had sucked and had gone in the worst way possible. 

Rushing out of the room, she ran into Ryuji. 

“Hey, meet me up at the roof?”

“I can’t be seen alone with a guy.”

“Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Well, I’ll go up and you meet me in like 5 minutes?”

She sighed and nodded and chose to find Takamaki again.

“Hey, Takamaki-chan?”

“Oh, Kurusu-chan. So, spill. What happened this morning?”

“It was a crazy day. I got lost. Had a panic attack because I got lost. Passed out. Ryuji found me and got me some food and helped me get here.”

“Ryuji? Sakamoto? You know him?”

“Well, I do now. Do you?”

“We went to middle school together. He’s a pretty okay guy. My main question is what’s up with these rumors I heard about you?”

“Lies. I tried to report and the guy turned it back on me. I heard some rumors about you as well?”

“Also lies. I’m foreign and so they think I’m easy.”

“Men?”

“Men.”

They shared a giggle again. 

“So, please feel free to call me Akira. I feel like that was enough sharing to warrant that”

“Alright! Feel free to call me Ann! I gotta go now, I’ve got work. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

_ Holy shit, I talked to her and got her name. _

She was practically skipping when she got up to the rooftop to meet with Ryuji.

“What has you so happy?”

“I just became friends with one of my classmates! Ann-chan!”

“Ann? I guess you two would have some stuff in common.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!”

“I heard the rumors, and I know that they’re fake. I mean, you definitely aren’t any of the things they say you are. You act like my mom, not like someone from the Red District.”

“Your mom?”

“Yeah, I don’t like to share it, but after today I think I can trust you. My dad was an asshole who liked to abuse me and Ma. So, she reacts to a lot of stuff like you do.”

Akira gave a small smile, “That’s why you were so good with my panic attacks and such.”

“Yeah, as it’s just the two of us, I got good at helping her out.”

“That’s really good of you.”

Once again, Ryuji beamed under the compliment.

“Anyways, besides letting you know that I don’t believe that shit being said about you, I wanted to chat about the whole castle thing.”

“That was freaking weird.”

“You can say that again. But I do have to wonder if we can go back there. I have to say, I want to know more.”

“I get that. But, hey, I gotta get home. Kawakami mentioned that she called my guardian to ask where I was when I was late today, and I bet he’s freaking out right now. So, let’s put a pin in this and talk more about it in like a day or two. Plus, I wanna be able to, like, absorb what a shitshow today was.”

“Haha, you’re right. You let me know if you need any help with anything. Or, you know, if your guardian is too mad or something. Hey! Here’s my contact info so we can talk!”

The two shared contact information and then staggered leaving the roof. Akira first, and Ryuji a few minutes later. 

\---

Getting back to Leblanc was a lot less stressful than getting to school. Although, the anxiety was rising as she got off the train at Yongen-Jaya and started to head towards the shop. 

_ He was super nice and understanding, but what if he flips because I messed up? Well, too late to do anything about it now. Just gotta roll with it. _

Slowly opening the door to the cafe, she crept in. 

“So, there you are. I’ve had a handful of calls about you today.”

“I’m sorry!” She threw her head down as she apologized. 

“Hey, look up at me.”

She slowly brought her head back up to level with a grimace on her face.

“None of that now. I was worried all morning, and then I just got another call about an hour ago explaining why you were late from your teacher. Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better.”

“I can imagine. What happened to make you get so lost?”

_ Might as well be slightly truthful. _ “I ran into a really creepy dude, and so I ran away from him and that got me off course and lost.”

“Dammit. I was worried about that. Let me make you a cup of coffee. I’ll even throw some chocolate into it to help you calm down.”

Akira didn’t know how she was so lucky to have found all of the nice people in Tokyo. 

“Well, it wasn’t all bad. I met some people who I think I can call friends as well.”

“Really? Tell me about them.” He hummed as he pulled the beans off the shelf.

“Yeah! One is a guy named Ryuji. He actually found me while I was freaking out about the creepy guy. And he got me food and got me to school. And another is Ann! She sits in front of me in class and was helping to defend me against all the mean people.”

“They sound great. But, why were there a ton of mean people at school?”

“Oh, uh. Apparently, someone leaked my record and everyone at school is propositioning me for sex every two steps.”

“WHAT. They had a single job, keep your record locked up tight. And, yet, here we are. They failed that! I should have a word with them…”

“There’s nothing that can be done. Might as well just persevere.”

“Kid, you shouldn’t be dealing with this. Hope you’re right about your new friends because you’re going to need them to get through this. I’ll help you while you’re here, but, there’s only so much I can do.”

“Thanks, sir.”

“Just call me Boss.”

“Okay, Boss.”

\---

As she went upstairs to get ready for bed after close, she pulled her phone out to send a text to Ryuji.

**Kira: Hey! Boss was great! Everything is good!**

**Ryu: That’s great! I’m glad it all worked out!**

**Kira: I’m dead though =_=**

**Kira: I’m going to bed**

**Kira: We can talk about everything more tomorrow.**

**Ryu: Yeah, I’m beat**

**Ryu: see you tomorrow!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! 
> 
> Another chapter done! Yay! 
> 
> So, yeah, I changed a few things. Yes, Akira is wearing a Carmen Sandiego outfit. I wanted it. Instead of a gentleman thief, she views herself as an international woman of mystery. And, a red dahlia flower stands for betrayal, which is how she feels about life right now, so that is what is in Adler’s hair. 
> 
> And Adler. The personas in this game seem to fit with gender. And so, I went with the female lady of mystery from Holmes. Once again, I think it fit, without changing things up too much. Still a foil to Holmes, still a dignified sort of thief. Just, the fem versions. 
> 
> And this is a very bi Akira. I don’t know who she’s gonna end up with. I have a few ideas, but I legit don’t know exactly who. I’ll figure it out as the story goes and I get a better feeling for this Joker I’ve created. But, I wanted to set that stage now. She ain’t straight. She might end up with Ryuji, she also might end up with Ann, or another thief down the road. But, she is currently just admiring all of her new hot friends. 
> 
> Please let me know how you like it! I am very much loving writing this!


	4. April 12th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira and Ryuji discover how to purposefully get to the other world. And Ryuji has an... electrifying experience.

“So when you get off at Shibuya, where do you go next?”

“I get off and go up the stairs. I go to the Ginka line and take that to school.”

“That’s right. Now, don’t be late today. And take pictures if that creepy guy comes back.”

“I’ll do my best, Boss.”

She took another quick look at her phone and, seeing the time, lept off of her seat to head out the door.

“Gotta go if I’m gonna fulfill that one! See you later!”

\---

**Akira:** Made it on time!

**Boss:** Good. Now stop texting. Do school stuff.

 **Boss:** AND NO PHONE CALLS HOME TODAY

**Akira:** (￣^￣)ゞ

Akira slipped her phone back into her pocket just as Ann was entering the classroom.

“Look who decided to be on time today.” Ann stuck her tongue out and winked while she was teasing Akira.

“Hey! Let’s just blame yesterday on New Kid problems!”

“Oh, and you’re not the new kid anymore?”

“Uh, duh. I’m practically old hat at this all by now.”

Another giggle shared between them.

\---

The rest of the time in the classroom was not as joyful.

Everyone seemed to assume the worst about her. Even though she was constantly giving correct answers to questions in class, all she could hear were the whispers about how they couldn’t believe “a whore like her could know anything.” And, while Ann would try to glare at people, they apparently thought similarly about her, so it didn’t do anything expect make people think that they worked together.

The only thing keeping her from snapping at everyone or crying was Adler. Every time she felt her emotions were going to overflow and show themselves, her voice would call out in her head.

**_Be still, my child. Do not let them win. You know who you are and that they are wrong. Hold to your truth. Use your spirit of rebellion to beat them at these mind games._ **

She still didn’t understand who Adler truly was outside of the quick explanation by Morgana, but she was grateful for the peace she brought her soul.

Regardless, by the time that lunch rolled around, she was eager to rush off to whatever corner it was that Ann ate in and have a few minutes without all the stares.

“Is it this bad all the time?” She sighed as she slumped to the ground next to the blonde.

“It depends, it goes up and down, y’know? Right now it’s at a high because you’re new and it’s interesting gossip.”

“Ugh. I wish they’d freaking stop. How’d they even learn that shit anyways?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that Kamoshida was rather thrilled to hear people talk about you.”

“Ew. I was told to do all I could to stay clear of him.”

“Honestly, that’s a good idea. He’s creepy and exhausting. I’m only dealing with him because of Shiho.”

“Shiho?”

“She’s my best friend. She’s usually here, but she has a volleyball lunch meeting today. He’s been a lot more frequent with those.”

“At least there’s multiple people at those meetings.”

“True, small mercies, I guess.”

There’s a slightly awkward silence.

“So, uh, Ann. Do you know if there are any Sherlock Holmes novels in the library?”

\---

A book heavier, Akira headed towards the school gates, hoping to finally have a quiet evening with nothing crazy going on. To have a chill night to make her new home feel like home.

Instead, she ran into Ryuji.

“Hey! Wazzup, ‘Kira?”

“Hi, Ryuji, just barely surviving school.”

“SAME. So, hey, I was just wondering if you wanted to talk more about that castle thing? Since we’re no longer in trouble?”

“I mean, sure. But, let’s step out of plain sight. I don’t want anyone to think you’re propositioning me or I’m breaking my probation or anything like that.”

“Aight, I wanted to walk and talk anyways!”

Akira narrowed her eyes at that. “You’re planning on trying to activate it again, aren’t you?”

“Uh. Maybe?”

She groaned. “That isn’t _talking_ about the castle, that’s _doing something_ about the castle. But fine. I’ll have to admit I was curious too.”

“For real! Awesome!”

“But I don’t want this to be a long crazy adventure like yesterday! I want to be able to rest tonight. But, let’s try to figure out how the hell this can even happen. We can do the rest some other time once we figure out how.”

“I mean, sounds fair. So, let’s begin by tracing our steps from last time.”

She took a moment to pull out her phone and send a quick text to Boss to let him know that she’d be with a friend, and then sprinted to catch up with Ryuji.

\---

After a few times of wandering around the school and the train station, Akira demanded a break to discuss other avenues of attack.

“Bruh, as fun as this has been, it ain’t doing squat.”

Ryuji stared wide-eyed at Akira, “What?”

“Sorry, I’m just getting tired of continuously trying the same thing. Let’s talk strategy.”

He shook her head to focus again, “Okay. what do you think is going on?”

“It isn’t just us walking in a certain way, or else the entire school would be in the castle. There has to be something that we’re missing. Something that happened that didn’t the rest of the times.”

“Wait. WAIT! I think I got it!”

“Feeling up sharing with the class?”

“Shuddup, I was getting to it. Let me see your phone.”

“Um. Excuse you?”

“Okay, I think I remember your phone making a weird noise right before the castle, and I didn’t hear it while we were wandering around trying to set it off! You got any weird apps on there?”

“I don’t really make a habit of dimension hopping, reality bending app usage. Also, you would think that would be on the news if someone made something like that?” She scoffed as she obliged him and opened up her phone.

“Well, then, what’s that?” He beamed as he pointed to the strange new app on her phone.

“I honestly don’t know. I got this phone brand new the day I moved here and it was on there. So, I just assumed it was the crap you automatically get or like some sort of tracking shit to make sure I’m not breaking probation. But I couldn’t delete it, so I decided to just let it be.”

“Well, let’s see….” He started messing with her phone trying to figure out the eyeball app’s purpose. “Ha! It IS a navigation app to the castle!”

“Are you actually shitting me?”

“Nope! ‘Kamoshida’s Pervert Castle at Shujin Academy!’ Holy crap, he really does view this place as his castle…”

“We already knew that. This is just confirmation. So, let’s make sure the app works and then get this short trip over with.”

**Destination Selected. Navigation Beginning.**

“What the actual fu…”

The world went purple.

Her clothes went **red**.

\---

Ryuji, as it turns out to no one’s surprise, was bad at patience and doing things according to plan.

After getting chewed out by their neighborly not-cat, Morgana, and reentering the castle, she took a moment to tug on Ryuji’s ear.

“We agreed! Just make sure we knew how to get in and out! No deep adventuring! I get to sleep! But nooooooo. You, my friend, are too eager to do dangerous shit for someone who can’t even fight the dangerous things!”

Well, at least he had the decency to look ashamed.

“But, like, while we’re here.”

“You owe me dinner.”

“If you guys are done yapping, I’d like to go deeper before the guards show up!”

“Sorry, sorry. So which way to those prisoners?” After a wince at Akira’s glare intensifying, “I mean, since we’re here, y’know.”

Akira let out a final huff before smiling at Ryuji, “Sure, we’re here anyways. Let’s just be careful.”

Ryuji beamed as the two bounded after Morgana.

\---

After a few near misses from the castle’s guards (in which Ryuji owes Akira more than one dinner, according to her. It’s his fault that she’s here and he keeps accidentally tripping over shit.), Akira finally slid down behind a box in some shadows, allowing herself to take a quick breath.

It’s a good thing that the group wasn’t found by the guards, having the security system of the palace go up just because Ryuji is loud when he gets startled wouldn’t have been the best situation, especially since he cannot help in the battles (Akira makes a note to up the dinner requirement to 3. Why did he want to go in here if he couldn’t help fight? She deserved a good cheeseburger for putting her neck on the line for him).

Looking around the corner though, Akira was once again on edge at the appearance of yet another shadow.

“You ready for another battle, Morgana? This one’s pretty unavoidable if we’re gonna keep going down this path.”

“Hmmm. I might be able to get the jump on him if I could just get a good long range shot on him…”

“Oh! Oh! I got something for this!”

“SHHH” The two fighters covered Ryuji’s mouth.

“Wait. What on earth do you mean that you ‘got something for this?’” Akira narrowed her eyes at Ryuji.

“Uhh. Let me get it out.” He started to rustle through his jacket packet until he pulled out a pistol.

“Ryuji. Please do not tell me that you just pulled a motherfucking pistol out of your jacket. A jacket that you wore all day at school. And therefore had a gun in all day. And where did you even get the gun.”

“Uh. It’s fake.”

“Okay, so you not only risked expulsion by bringing a weapon to school, but it’s a fake weapon. And, for the love of God, why would you think that was helpful here?”

“Uh, the cogni-whatzit bullshit?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, blondie here actually has a point. If the cognitive world thinks that the gun is real, then the gun is real here. At least with it being actually fake, we don’t have to worry about causing problems in the real world.”

“Why’d you have to be so mad that I understood something, you damn cat?”

“NOT A CAT.”

“NOT IMPORTANT. Now shush you, we have a shadow to get the jump on and shoot. Apparently. Good thing I’ve played some arcade shoot-em-ups.”

\---

“HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME!”

Ryuji couldn’t help but holler out his praise after watching Morgana and Akira pull off an All-Out Attack. Akira stood, surrounded by the dark clouds of the shadows she had just eviscerated wafting around her, straightening her gloves back out with a grin.

“You know, Ryuji, I do think that you’re right. That was awesome.”

“Wasn’t it? I hope I get to pull of the move next time! I’ll knock them all down with Zorro or my slingshot and BAM! Tear them all apart!”

“Okay, cat, I gotta know, how does your slingshot deal with the cognitive whatever? Like, the gun looks real, but like, your slingshot doing the same shit?”

“It’s a real slingshot. And I use mini-bombs that I have made as ammo.”

“Never mind.”

Kneeling down to grab the leftover items from the shadows’ bodies, Akira peered around the next corner and stilled.

“The Training Room of Love? I… don’t like this.”

“What the shit did you say it was called?”

“Look for yourself, but I think we found our destination, and I think we ain’t gonna like it.”

Akira stood back up and started to walk towards their destination, chills going up her spine as she did so. She _did not_ want to go in there, but knew that she had to to help Ryuji get the answers he wanted.

But that room name? That could _not_ be a good sign.

Grimacing as she approached the door, she slowly pushed it open, holding her breath all the while.

She was overwhelmed with the smell of blood and sweat, as well as the sounds of crying and screaming. She stuck her head in and saw torture devices around the next area and endlessly limping versions of some of the players.

Before opening the door all the way, she turned back to Ryuji, “Hey, this shit is looking really bad. If this ends up being too similar in some way to your interactions with this guy beforehand, let me know and we’ll get out.”

Ryuji’s face was already sheet white and altogether way too focused. But he managed to give her a small nod in return, “Yeah, yeah. I gotta do this though, for the volleyball kids.”

“Okay. No shame in turning around though. Even a basic glance gives a world of credence to your ideas about him.”

With a final nod from Ryuji, she opened the door wide enough for them all to filter in, quietly shutting the door behind them to make their entrance less obvious. Well, visually at least. Ryuji was swearing up enough of a storm to be able to prevent being caught by anyone listening.

Thankfully the whole area in front of them was loud enough to hopefully cover up the completely justified outburst.

As far as they could see, there were extended jail cells filled with members of the volleyball team, with each cell focusing on a different method of torture.

Akira was frozen in her spot, taking in all of the torment going on around her, mouth slightly agape as she realized that this, _this_ , was truly how Kamoshida felt and acted around the students he was in charge of. And, as she was taking it all in, she came to the realization that these were only the male students. _Where’s the women’s team?_

In her moment of reflection, Ryuji had run off, full force towards the cells. Pressing his face in between the bars was the most focused face that Akira had yet to see, analyzing and memorizing each person’s face to make sure that he could find each person that needed help.

_How could all of Shujin be so wrong about him?_ Akira looked on sadly, wondering what had happened to cause Ryuji to be so hated despite how big his heart was.

Giving him his space to try and remember the names of each classmate that they saw, Akira slowly walked to a secluded corner past all of the cells to give herself a moment without seeing the pain of them all, even if she still had to hear it. Unfortunately, she instead stumbled into something else.

Akira had clamored onto a box to sit and rest for a moment, and after a moment or so she came to a sudden realization, _there was a breeze._

Leaping off of the crate, she then pushed everything out of the way until she got to the wall, and saw a switch. Pressing it, the wall opened up to reveal a staircase leading back up. _Probably how Kamoshida gets down here._

She tried waving to everyone else, but Ryuji was still busy looking at the male players and Morgana was by the doorway still, to make sure they weren’t followed.

“Ah, well, I’m sure I can quietly check out these stairs. I’ll leave the way open so they can figure out where I went, and I’ll turn right around the first sight of a shadow.” She whispered to herself to try and reassure herself about what she was going to do.

Wandering up the stairs, she started to hear _noises._

Hurrying slightly faster up the stairs, she found a small doorway partway up with the door cracked. Thankfully, the door set up allowed her to peek in and see without giving away her position.

Inside the office was Kamoshida, in all of his slimy glory, looking especially shitty and creepy.

And in front of him were three students: Ann, her friend Suzui, and Akira’ class rep, Mishima. Mishima was more in the corner, albeit with a collar around his neck that was affixed to Kamoshida’s desk with a leash. He looked torn up and his eyes were extremely distant, even for the mental projections that they had been seeing.

Ann and Suzui, however, were causing a lump in Akira’s throat. Both of which were clad in less than appropriate outfits, Ann in a swim suit and Suzui in the skimpiest volleyball outfit Akira had ever seen. And both were mooning over Kamoshida. Worse still were that, while Ann’s skin was pristine, Suzui’s was covered in similar injuries to Mishima.

_What the actual fuck is happening._ Akira was frozen in her spot for a moment.

A rustle further up the staircase, however, shook her from her trance and had her scurry back down to the others.

Turning her head back down the stairs she swore she caught a glimpse of _herself_ . _As a stripper._ Kneeling next to the coach and laying her head on his leg. Akira shook her head, refusing to focus on that right now as she had to escape before she was caught.

As she went down, she caught the sound of a guard telling Kamoshida that there was evidence that the escaped prisoners were back. _Shit, I really have to get back now._

As she leapt over the crate at the bottom of the hidden stairwell, she quickly re-hit the switch that controlled the passageway and slumped down for a moment.

“Where the hell did you go?”

“No time to explain, they know we’ve come back in. We’ve gotta get out now.”

“Shit! For real?”

“Told you that you were being too loud, blondie!”

“Not important right now! We can berate later, but we leave now!”

\---

After more than a few close encounters, the trio finally made it back to the atrium of the castle.

“Okay, we’re out of the dungeon, so all we’ve gotta do now is cross that room and crawl back out the little hideyhole we made.”

The other two nodded at Akira’s instructions and made to follow her lead across the room.

The plan to get across unscathed or noticed went really well until they arrived at the other side of the room to find the entryway they needed blocked.

“For real? What do we do now?”

“How about you give up your silly games and just submit to me?” Kamoshida’s voice rung out from the second story walkway in the room.

Spinning around, Akira glared right where she heard Kamoshida’s voice coming from, only to falter slightly once turned. On either side of him were Ann and the other Akira. Involuntarily, she blanched.

“WHAT IS THAT?” Ryuji couldn’t help by shout out, only causing Akira to flinch more.

Akira takes a step back and finds a dark corner near the walkway they were trying to escape through and flops into it, staring off into the void while Morgana explains cognitive beings to Ryuji and how little he thinks of his intelligence.

If anything, Morgana’s explanation that those two beings looked like that because that was how Kamoshida saw them only served to make Ryuji _more_ angry. Once he started back up, he couldn’t stop shouting insults about how sick and demented the gym teacher had to be to see his students in that light.

In response, Kamoshida just laughed.

“Are you kidding? Everyone at this school bows down to me! All the girls are mine! Ann is _mine._ That slut of a new girl? She’s _mine._ She’s playing coy, but I know how fucking whores like her work. She’s playing hard to get to not get in trouble, but I _will_ have her.”

At that statement, Ryuji and Morgana leapt to action, too angry to hear that declaration to notice that Akira wasn’t with them. There was a muffled sob, but it was covered up by Ryuji’s screams of frustration.

As Morgana was swept aside due to the strength of the guards, Ryuji came to the realization that he was all alone.

“Ha! You fucking punk! You ready to bow before me? I would have thought you would have been the fastest to learn your place. First your daddy grooms you to know your place, and then I remind you where you stand. But _no_. You have to try and be the hero.”

Kamoshida shakes his head.

“Well, it’s too late! I’m the hero of this school, and there’s nothing that you can do to change that! You’ve always been and always _will_ be powerless against me. And now, _and now_ , I will finally have the prize that is your new friend. It’s seems like she, at least, has accepted her fate. I leaked her history to the school so that she would always know that she can’t change who she is, so she would understand where she stands with me.”

Ryuji’s eyes went wide as he spun around looking for Akira. _Shit, he’s right, where the hell is she?_ When he found her, huddled in the corner gasping for air, his face fell. _I promised to help her. And I’ve failed._

Now that there was a moment of quiet while Kamoshida was gleefully watching the horror set in on Ryuji’s face, the runner could now hear the quiet sobs coming from her small frame.

Instead of horror, however, Ryuji’s face twisted into a burning resolve.

“YOU DID THIS TO HER! YOU ARE THE REASON THAT SHE’S AFRAID TO BE AT SCHOOL AND HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO REST SINCE COMING HERE. YOU DID THIS.”

**_Are you ready?_ **

Ryuji froze.

**_You promised to protect her above all else. To ensure no one else was hurt again by him, correct?_ **

_Yes?_

**_Well then, are you ready to keep that promise?_ **

_Yes._

**_Very well. Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus. I am thou, thou art I. There is no turning back. The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"_ **

At his nod of assent, a grey skull mask appeared across his face. Instinctively, he ripped it off, blood flying everywhere. It was painful, yes, but not as painful as what Kamoshida did to him, not as painful as watching his mother fold in on herself each day, not as painful as looking at Akira right now and knowing he didn’t help her before now.

Blue fire engulfed him, he felt the part of himself that he was holding back because he didn’t want to be ‘too much’ expand and settled in, refusing to be shunted to the back again.

As he emerged from the fire with a punk-pirate outfit and electric yellow gloves, Ryuji felt more like himself then he ever had in his life. He winked over to Akira who was staring wide-eyed at him with tears still streaming silently.

“Wazzup, Persona? Let’s get them, Captain Kidd!” He pointed over to the guards who were blocking their path, thunder raining down on them, causing them all to drop immediately.

“And you! Get away from her!” he spun back towards Akira and pointed at the guards who were trying to sneak up behind her and grab her while the fighting was going on.

Looking around, all of the guards were on the ground, dazed and shocked from the sudden attacks. Kamoshida was staring at the wreckage, stunned at the electricity still weaving its way around Ryuji’s hands. He instinctively took a step back and covered his face as Ryuji took a step towards him.

“Wait! He’s still the ruler of this palace! We need Akira before we can take him on! Let’s get her safe!”

At Morgana’s reminder of Akira, Ryuji snapped out of the menacing stance he had taken and ran as fast as his legs would allow him over to her.

“Hey! Hey! You with me?”

She squinted while looking at him, still shaking and with very faint breaths.

“Okay, I am going to pick you up and take you out of here, okay? I don’t want to touch you without permission, but we gotta get you outta here. I’ll put you down as soon as we’re safe, I promise. Is that okay?” He knelt down in front of her and tentatively reached out towards her.

She couldn’t keep her eyes focused and kept contorting her face in a way that it was evident she was trying to understand what was going. When she looked right into Ryuji’s face though, she tilted her head, gave the best version of a smile she could give right now, and gave a tiny nod.

Holding her arms out, Akira had fully given her support to the plan.

Ryuji carefully scooped her up and motioned at Morgana to open one of the main doors instead of the secret way in that they had previous used, as he was sure dropping her right now would be catastrophic.

Without thinking, Akira leaned into Ryuji and zoned right back out, forgetting where she was or what was going on. Ryuji looked down and saw her eyes half lidded and empty again and kept pushing forward. _Once we get out of here, I can get her the Gatorade in my bag and some food. Ramen would be good for the extra sodium and protein. Plus, it’s not overwhelming flavor and is warm. Perfect for her._

“Hey! I’m gonna make sure nothing happens here and that you can get her out safely! I’ll meet you back here soon? Okay?” Morgana called out to him

“I’ll, uh, I’ll see when she wants to come back. But, I don’t know when that will be, it’s up to her.”

“That makes sense, I’ll keep a lookout for you.”

Ryuji gave a terse nod to the cat and then continued to the edge of the palace, causing the app to send them back to reality.

He didn’t let himself stop moving, however, making sure that he was soundly in the alleyway and out of sight before they had fully formed in the real world, he didn’t want anyone to see him with an obviously hurt Akira.

Placing her gently down, he knelt in front of her once more.

“Hey. We’re back in reality and away from that creep. You’re okay now.” He quietly kept repeating it as a mantra while softly rubbing her arms to get her to come to.

As she slowly opened her eyes, still extremely confused as to what was going on, Ryuji couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Thank goodness. Okay, I got you some Gatorade that you’re gonna need to drink. Panic attacks and anxiety attacks really take out all of your energy, and they even eat through all of your backup strength. So, you’re gonna want more electrolytes in your system.” He pulled out a bottle of light blue liquid and opened it up for her, seeing if she was willing to take the bottle herself.

She focused heavily on the bottle and took a steeling breath before reaching out with both hands to grab the drink. And then steadied herself as much as she could to drink it herself, with Ryuji’s arms hovering underneath hers.

“Good. That’s very good. You’re doing a lot better than I thought you would.”

She was now focusing intensely on him and slowly nodded to prove she was listening.

_Good, she’s entirely here. She might be a little slow on comprehending, but she’s fully here and actively trying to be in the moment._

“Nice. Since you can do that on your own, I was thinking about getting some food. You need something more filling to refill the energy you lost. I was thinking of getting ramen. I’d help you with getting there.”

Intense focus again, and then a nod. She slowly put down the now empty container in her hands ( _man, she really was thirsty_ ), and then tried to push herself up. Ryuji reached out and grabbed her arms and slowly got her to stand up with her. She wobbled for a moment, completely unsteady on her feet, so Ryuji wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Is this okay?”

A nod.

So, then he took her through the back-alley ways back to the subway, as to let her have some privacy in her moment of weakness.

\---

Ryuji was grateful that Akira was coming back into herself over that bowl of ramen.

After a bit of light conversation, in which they were both glad that she was just able to speak, she really started to relax and be herself again. Which led her to finally taking initiative in the conversation and asking the question she had been pondering all day, “Ryuji, what happened between you and Kamoshida? What was he talking about?”

Ryuji had a quick moment of looking downcast, “Are you sure you’re okay with talking about that? It’s not fun and you’re still recovering.”

“I feel a lot better and I want to understand.”

“Okay, you let me know if I need to stop, okay?” He waited for her to nod. “Anyways, I guess you need to know that I have a shitty dad. Like, a beat the shit out of me and mom sort of dad. We eventually got away from him, but it took like a shit ton of lawyers and police, and now it’s just mom and I.”

Akira reached her hand out to comfort him, he smiled sadly in response.

“So, when I start at Shujin, I realized I’m good at running, like _really good_. So, I throw myself into the track team. I’m easily on track to getting a scholarship for it. I’m the star of the team. Thing is, it was also the first year that that shithead was a coach. And, well, as I’m sure you noticed, he likes to be the star. So, after the school decided to give more money to the track team than his team, he somehow found a way to be the substitute coach for us after our coach got some food poisoning. He goaded me during practice, said that I was only going to ever be like my father and that it was inevitable that I was going to hurt my mother and that I already was for being a worthless child. And then that I was going to attack the team mates and I got mad and started yelling. And… well… he pulled me into the coach’s office saying that he was going to discuss things with me, and snapped my leg in half. Told everyone that I had attacked him as soon as we were in private and that he was defending himself.”

Akira’s jaw dropped.

“Are… are you shitting me?”

“I wish I was.”

“You’re right, we gotta stop that shithead from doing that to anyone else. You didn’t deserve that.”

They shared a smile with each other.

“Thanks for sharing that, by the way.”

He awkwardly scratched his ear. “It’s no big, you shared your issues with me. And like, they’re way effing worse. So it’s only fair.”

“Let’s not compare, please?”

“Fine, let’s finish this before it gets cold!”

And, as Akira dug back into her food, she felt a warmth start to grow in her chest.

**I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast begun upon the path of the Chariot.**

_Adler?_

_**Ask the long-nosed man. But it is a boon related to your friend here.** _

She nodded to herself and then smiled at Ryuji, that warmth never leaving her chest.

\---

She got off at subway at Yongen-Jaya and sighed as she headed back toward Leblanc. _I hope that I look strong enough to not worry Boss._

Opening the door, she saw Sojiro making himself a cup of coffee while looking over at his phone that was sitting on the counter.

Looking up, he seemed to let out a deep breath, “Oh good. I was just thinking about reaching out to you to wonder where you were. It’s a little late. I know you said you were out, but I didn’t know how late and…”

“Sorry, Boss. I just… lost track of time.”

“It’s fine. It’s fine. As long as you got home safe. Did you eat dinner?”

“Yep! Went and got some ramen from across the city!”

“Good. I thought so with the time, but, good to know. You let me know if you’re getting dinner out again, that way I don’t have to wonder if I’m feeding you or not.”

“Will do, Boss!”

“Now,” starting on a cup of coffee for her, “Tell me about your day.”

_How do I explain what’s been going on?_

Sliding into a barstool at the counter, she ruffled her hair for a moment while she thought up an answer.

“Well, I got to school with no issues! I knew my way there today and didn’t have any issues. I talked to a few of my classmates. And, well, the ones who would talk to me seemed really nice! Kawakami-sensei is a really nice teacher, but some of the others ones are really weird and such. I did a lot of my homework during lunch. And I got myself a book to read tonight from the library! Sherlock Holmes!”

“Good, good. And after school?”

“Uh… I… uh… ran into my friend Ryuji. And we hung out and did some workout stuff. He used to be on the track team at school until he got injured last year, and so he was happy to have a workout buddy again.”

“You feel safe with him?” His face got oddly serious.

“Yeah! Apparently he came from a really bad place too, you know, not a good dad. And so he’s happy to have someone like him.”

Sojiro was smiling again. “That’s good, should help you heal.”

He took a sip of his coffee and then put it back down. “Now, I didn’t realize that you did sports enough to _be_ a workout buddy.”

“Yeah, I did gymnastics and dance growing up. My parents didn’t like that I like gymnastics more, or when I demanded to do modern street dancing over traditional dances, but I did them up until this year.”

“Well, if you want to get back into them, you let me know and I’ll see where you can.”

She beamed, “Thank you!”

“Now, I heard you say that you did a lot of your homework, is there any left?”

“Just a little bit of English.”

“Ick. Well, I’m pretty much done here. I’m gonna leave this pot of coffee out for you for tonight. Anything that’s leftover when you’re done, please pour in the sink and then wash it and your mug out. Give a call or a text if you need _anything_ and I’ll come back over. Okay?”

“Yep! Thank you again.”

“It’s nothing. Now I’m going to go home and check on Futaba. See what she wants for dinner. If I have to go out for her, I’ll let you know and can pick up a snack for you, okay? Now, I’m heading out. Night, Akira.”

“Goodnight, Boss!” She called to him as he reached the door.

He threw up a hand as a wave as he exited, leaving her at the counter with her cup of coffee.

She slumped down, grateful to be alone.

“Okay, 'Kira. You gotta finish your homework first. _Then_ you can read or go to bed.” She verbally reminded herself as she hoisted her bag up to the counter.

First though, before homework, she had to have a brief cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Sorry this took so long! I went on a long trip to see relatives, I’ve been working a lot. Trying to get into streaming for fun. And, as I found out, longer chaptered stories like this are a lot more time demanding than the short snapshot pieces I’m doing for my other fic! And I hit a bit of a roadblock for a while with how to begin the stuff at the palace. Most walkthroughs you can find online of the game don’t go over the inane conversations and forced events of the Kamoshida dungeon, and so I had to do a lot of searching for something to remember in which order things happened and which day things happened (it’s been a little bit since I played the beginning).
> 
> But here you go! This chapter is nearly 20 pages long. And I really feel good about it. I did add some deeper shit. And I really want to expand upon Ryuji’s character and make him shine. Just a reminder though, I have no idea who the endgame for this story is relationship wise. Akira might date Ryuji, or not. Right now they’re just being good friends when they need to be. And, I structured Akira’s panic/anxiety/PTSD attack and flashback/dissociation off of my own personal experiences with them. 
> 
> Please let me know how this is going! I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter soon!


	5. April 13th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a volleyball rally, friendships are confirmed, and reasonable adults actually do reasonable things to help the children under their care.

Every Shujin student Akira passed on the way to school was bursting with excitement over the Volleyball Rally being held today. And, for the most part, she couldn’t blame them: classes were cancelled, they all got play volleyball today, and it was overall a free day. She could get behind that. 

Unfortunately, it also included Kamoshida being glorified all day, and having free reign of the school. She knew that she would have to be careful today. 

It didn’t help that she was running on empty due to the severe attack yesterday in the Palace. She could barely think coherently and focus on anything around her. 

Thankfully, she ran into Ryuji at Shibuya and he was helping her out. He even had thought ahead and brought her more Gatorade and beef jerky snacks after she texted him this morning. 

**Kira: Did i get hit by a fukcing truck?**

**Ryuji: ???**

**Kira: I feel like… hfjdsfjas**

**Ryuji: You had a shitty panic attack and shit yesterday, you’re gonna be tired af**

**Kira: I don’t like it**

**Ryuji: Just get to school. I’ll help you out.**

**Ryuji: Also be careful**

**Ryuji: it volleyball day**

**Kira: fuckckckcc**

Now that she had some food and sugar in her, she was able to find the text conversation at least slightly entertaining. But, she was still rather nervous about Kamshida and the rally today. 

She was going to have to play in front of him, try not to be alone with him when he was in charge of the school today, and not show how exhausted she was or how nimble she was as to get his attention. She honestly wasn’t sure if she could do it. 

But she had to try. 

The consequences for failing weren’t even going to be thought about, she had to succeed. 

The crowd of people on the trains today just felt so much more stifling and intimidating. Thankfully though, Ryuji joined her for the rest of the journey to school, letting her have the open seat and standing directly in front of her to block the crowds. She still felt crowded, but at least she knew she wasn’t going to have anyone try anything with someone like Ryuji in front of her. 

Each time Ryuji did something like this for her, help her out, look out for her, she couldn’t help but grow in frustration at everyone else at Shujin. Sure, they ostracized her, but they at least at some legitimate reasoning why - even if it was all falsified. Ryuji, though? He did nothing wrong. And, yet, he was treated like shit. 

“Hey, what’s up? You got an angry look on your face?”

“Just thinking about how much I want to punch Kamoshida. And all the stupid, vapid fans of his who proliferate his bullshit.”

“What?”

“Sorry, I’m just mad that everyone at Shujin is, like, hanging on that shitstain’s every word and views him as their king. Like, that shit that happened to you! It makes no sense, and there’s like a million plot holes in his story, and yet you got all this shit!”

Ryuji puts his hands up in a placating manner. 

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Just calm down, you’re, uh, getting a little loud.”

Akira blushed and controlled her volume as she spoke next, hoping that people would stop staring, “Like you’re one to talk, mister. And don’t change the topic, it’s bullshit and you know it.”

“I mean, sure. But like, it’s whatever. I’m a shitty kid and he’s a shitty adult. Of course they’re gonna listen to him over me. He’ll get what’s coming to him, I, I just gotta expose it. I got no ground to stand on, so I gotta make ground.”

He’s blushing and looking down, trying not to make eye contact with Akira. 

“Sorry. I just. It makes me mad when I think about what happened to you.”

His blush gets deeper.

“It’s the same for you, you know? I’ve been furious since you first told me. You didn’t deserve any of that. I, at least…”

“Shhh. No. You didn’t deserve it either. So stop.”

Akira can see a slight shudder in Ryuji’s body.  _ Shit, I gotta lighten the mood somehow, I’d hate for him to be embarrassed on this train. _

“So are you excited to see the mathlete team get fucking demolished today? I hear that they have to go against the Volleyball Team and it’s gonna be mass carnage.”

That brightened him up. “Oh shit, you’re right. It’s gonna be amazing! That and the feud between the Band and Theater Clubs!” 

He furrowed his brow again, “You gotta be careful to not be alone with the shitstain today. He’s always extra creepy today and gets away with more shit. I’ll do everything I can to stay nearby, but, you know, please don’t run off without letting me know. I’m gonna be anxious all day.”

“I promise.”

“Thanks.”

With a small smile between the two of them acknowledging their agreement, they arrived at the station for their school. 

_ I can do this. I have the best friend I’ve ever made in my life looking out for me, I can do this. _

\---

The Volleyball Rally was exhausting. 

There was so much more noise than usual permeating through the school’s halls, and it was really starting to wear her down. To help cut down on mental processes, she had slipped into a more instinctual mode, reacting without thinking instead of planning. Ryuji had noticed and was trying his best to guide her towards good choices. But the day was still rough.

It didn’t help that she had, without thinking, changed into her actual athletic gear instead of the baggy gym clothes. She had seen some of the girls in the locker room doing so, and grabbed her gymnastics training gear without a second thought. 

She was happy, because it was very comfortable and  _ comforting _ to her to wear it. And, well, she considered that enough of a payoff to deal with all of the increased whispers about her.

_ Oh look, she’s showing her true colors. _

_ Man, legs for days! No wonder she got business! _

Ryuji wandered back over to her, “So, you decided to wear your own gym clothes?”

“They’re appropriate. There are other girls wearing the same stuff.”

“Yeah, but like, they’re on a school team. Where did you even get that?”

“I was on a school team back at my old school. Gymnastics.”

“For real? That… actually explains a lot.”

_ What are they talking about? How are they so close? _

_ She said she did gymnastics? I’m sure she *snrk* needed that flexibility _

_ ‘Explains a lot?’ What are they up to? _

“Shit.” Akira whispered under her breath. 

She took a few steps away from Ryuji with a grimace and kept walking, trying not to have anymore of a reaction towards the cacophony of whispers.

He tried to reach out to her to try and comfort her, but remembered where he was and let his hand fall limply down before it got too far. He kicked the ground in anger and then continued to follow her. He’d let her have space to keep the rumor mill down for now, but he wasn’t gonna let shit like rumors stop him from keeping her safe if she needed him.

_ Oooo, was that a lover’s spat we just saw? _

_ I bet he did something to scare her, he’s so terrifying. _

Scowl on his face, he scuffed the ground again with his shoe.  _ Fuck these guys, they know nothing. ‘Kira says I don’t deserve this shit.  _ He stood up straighter than ever and smirked. 

“The match between class 2-A and 2-B is about to begin. Please had to the gymnasium if you are part of that match or wish to attend.”

“Oh shit.” He ran off to the gym, not wanting to get in trouble for missing his one mandatory appearance for the day.

\---

As Akira landed the game winning spike an inch away from Ryuji, she couldn’t but be proud of her work. She decimated the other team with the help of Mishima, the quiet Student Rep. She gave herself a moment to bask in the feeling of a fun workout and of winning the battle. 

Well, until she saw Ryuji’s and Ann’s faces. And heard the chattering once more.

_ Oh shit, she’s good. _

_ Wonder if she’ll be on the team? _

_ Look at how strong she is! _

She had failed one of her goals for today, to slip under the radar and not call attention to herself. And, looking into the scared eyes of her friends, she knew she had fucked up.

She spun around to leave the court and try to hide until this whole thing blew over to see Kamoshida on the sidelines, staring directly at her with a smirk.  _ Fuck. _

Thankfully, the teacher’s match was up next, and he was playing in it. So, she had a moment to figure out her next move.

She grabbed Ann’s arm and ran with her to a corner of the room, hoping to get some advice from her and to not be as noticeable during the next match. She noticed Ryuji go to sit on the bleachers and look directly at her.

“Hey! You never told me that you knew how to do a freaking flip! What the heck was that? I thought you were trying to stay under the radar?” Ann finally had an outburst after they slid to the floor.

“Well, so did I. But, I’ve been a bit off today, and so I didn’t think about reigning that shit in while I was playing.”

“Ugh, and I saw Kamoshida staring at you. But like, that was so cool! Why didn’t you try for a team here when you arrived?”

“Because I didn’t want the attention, okay? I thought that the teams wouldn’t want me on them because of my past, and then I didn’t want to be anywhere near the same area as Shithead even on accident. I love sports, but...”

“Hmmm. You’re gonna want to head home as soon as you can after school gets out. He’s gonna have a major ego boost all day and soak in the attention from all of this shit. You should be fine until school ends, as he will have plenty of people in his face until the End Bell.”

Ann’s face lit up. “You should totally give me your contact info! Then we can chat about this shit and work together!”

Akira beamed in response and handed her phone over to Ann. 

“Hmm, you seem to have a few notifications from Ryuji. Didn’t realize you guys were that close. Heck, you have a nickname in your chat!”

“Hey! Don’t look through that! And yeah, he’s a good guy.”

“You interested?”

“I don’t know, probably not? He’s a great friend, but my brain isn’t thinking about dating just yet.”

“You’re no fun. Hmph.” She handed the phone back, “Put my info in. And, well, Ryuji and I used to be friends, so, we can all hang out sometime if you want.”

Akira smiled, “That sounds great!”

“So, how did you even meet him? You’ve only been at this school for, like, less than a week?”

“Right after I ran into you that first day, remember that?” A nod of affirmation, “Well, he ran into me and startled me and I fell. And, well, he helped me back up and shit. We went on a rather unexplainable adventure together that involved some crazy ass shit, and managed to finally find our way to Shujin, and that whole day cemented our friendship. And, well, he’s a good enough guy, so we’ve been hanging out since. 

Ann leaned in closer, “Weird shit?”

“It’s, hard to explain.”

“Try me.”

“Um….”

As Akira was trying to think of the words to try and describe the Metaverse to Ann, a loud roar came from the stands.

Mishima, the quiet kid from her class, was apparently on the Men’s Volleyball Team. He was also currently on the ground, holding his eye and curling in on himself. A volleyball was rolling past him on the ground while Kamoshida smirked down at him. 

The coach’s face quickly turned to one of painted on concern and demanded for a student to help the kid to the nurse’s office. He rolled his eyes minutely at Mishima one last time as Ryuji sprinted over to help the kid up. 

Without waiting for his signal, Akira got up and waited in the hallway for Ryuji to come out with her classmate. She had promised to try and stay within eyesight of her friend today, and this was a small thing she could help out with and get out of the general viewing area. 

Ann made a noise of confusion as Akira bolted up, so Akira turned quickly and flashed an apologetic smile on her way out.

\---

She only had to wait but a moment for Ryuji to come out the gym doors with Mishima. Without a word, she slipped the Mishima’s other arm across shoulders and nodded to Ryuji. 

He smiled in return and the two began their trek. 

“So, I guess you’re good at sports.”

“I like them.”

“And holy shit, you weren’t kidding when you said you did gymnastics? Like, flips and shit everywhere!”

“I did make nationals.”

“Shit.”

“Thank you.”

Mishima stirred between the two of them. Akira let herself have a moment to really look at her classmate. He was one of the palest people she had ever met, with dark bags under his eyes. She had no idea he was on the team, probably because he was so skinny and tiny. His pallid skin was free from any injuries, besides the new black eye that he was about to sport. But, as his shirt shifted from the motion, she saw old bruises and injuries piled up under the surface, some even peeking up around his neck.  _ No wonder he wears that turtleneck all the time. _

She made a pointed glance towards them for Ryuji, and couldn’t help but think about the version of Mishima she saw in Kamoshida’s castle yesterday. Ryuji made a small growl in return, and nodded firmly in response. 

“After he gets checked out, you wanna talk to him about this shit?”

“For sure. He can help us with proof against him.”

“Let’s see if we can get him to help us.”

“I have a feeling it may not be too easy though.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Remember when I came running down that stairwell looking like I was gonna die?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I saw the Shitstain’s version of him. It… wasn’t pretty.”

Ryuji was about to question further, but they had arrived at the nurse’s office. The two of them helped get Mishima inside and help out however they could. To both of their relief (and slight worry) it ended up taking the rest of the day. It gave them a good excuse to be away from everyone else, and was a place that no one could try to start shit even if they wanted to.

The nurse was done taking care of Mishima, all that was left for him was to rest a little bit before getting up to go. He had tried to get up earlier, but she forced him to stay until at least the end of the day, and so, Ryuji had told him that the two of them were gonna stay with him, no problem. Mishima had smiled (kinda) in return, and promptly fell asleep.

After checking to make sure he was truly asleep, Ryuji turned over to Akira, “So, you were saying about that castle version of him?”

Akira gave Ryuji a very quick version of stairwell incident, with a detailed description of Mishima. 

“I think that this kid here is, like, I don’t know, under his control. Like, he holds something over Mishima here, and so he does the Shitstain’s bidding.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, there was a giant chain around his neck, remember? That has to be symbolic. So, I don’t know if we’re gonna have too much luck at first with him.”

“Shit.” He shrugged, “We’ll figure it out. He’s the best in we’ve got right now.”

\---

At the nurse’s prompting, they gently roused Mishima about 10 minutes before the end of the day, so he could get any last minute information from her about how to treat the injury and come to before the tidal wave of people leaving. 

He was a fast riser, and so they were actually being allowed to leave a few minutes before the bell, as to get out before the rush. 

Akira was overjoyed at the prospect of being able to get out of school before Kamoshida could try anything, as she knew that she had found her way onto her radar. She wasn’t sure on how to deal with him after today, but tomorrow was a different da….

“Where are you three going?”

All three of their faces lost all color in an instant. Kamoshida approached the frozen trio, smirking. 

“Are you going to answer me, Mishima?”

“Uh… Sir! We were released to go home by the nurse!”

“Oh, you’re going to go home early, and skip out on practice?”

“Well… sir…”

“He was excused from practice due to his head injury!” Akira decided to fill in for the stuttering Mishima.

“Is your name Mishima? I didn’t think it was. Mishima! If you aren’t at practice today we’ll have to have an extra chat this week.”

Mishima’s back went ramrod straight. The tiny bit of color that had come back to his face when he blushed at Akira defending him completely dissapeared. 

“I’ll… I’ll be right there, sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” He smirked. “Now, Kurusu-chan. I must say I have a few questions for you as well.”

Now it was Akira’s turn to go ghostly pale as she watched Mishima slink off towards the gym. 

“Where were you intending to go with these two male students?”

“Just… was helping Mishima get home and then head home myself.”

“Likely story.” He swept up closer to her and his voice swept into an almost whisper, “I know who you are, you whore. I saw you talking with Ann-chan. I know you’re trying to get information from her on how to talk to me. You know, you can just talk to me, I’m very accommodating.” Kamoshida gave a grin to punctuate the last point.

Akira made to take a step back, but Kamoshida grabbed her arm.

Ryuji made to try and wrestle her arm away from his grasp, but the coach shoved him away, “Don’t make me break your other leg, brat.”

He looked down at Akira, who was still in his grasp, “Wearing the pants, that’s not very ladylike of you.” 

“Maybe that’s the point.”

“Maybe you need to have a chat with me to learn a lesson.”

He started to pull on her arm to bring her towards his office when the school bell decided to ring. 

He dropped her arm quickly and narrowed his eyes at her. 

“This isn’t over, whore. This coy and hard to get act can only last so long.”

Ryuji scrambled back over and pulled her out of the school as the first floods of students started their way over towards the school entrance, leaving Kamoshida standing in the entryway, glaring down the pair as they left with furrowed brows and crossed arms. Once they had left the building, he took one last deep breath, and then headed over to the gym to figure out how to deal with his frustration.

\---

The pair get as far as the vending machines around the corner from the school before Akira’s legs give out. Ryuji helps her to the bench by the machines and crouches in front of her. 

“I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t do more to help you out there.”

“It’s… it’s okay. You tried, and then he threatened you again. I’m not mad.”

“But I promised you that I wouldn’t let him bother you, and he did, and I did nothing.”

“We just gotta think of a better way to deal with him. He’s untouchable in this world.”

“Ugh, I hate all these shitty adults letting other shitty adults run all over us!”

As Ryuji waved his arms around and pulled on his hair in frustration, Akira’s phone buzzed.

**Ann: Hey! I just wanted to check on you!**

**Ann: I just Shithead in a mad mood muttering about what I’m assuming is you and Ryuji.**

**Ann: You need to talk?**

Gently nudging Ryuji to get him out of his anger, Akira gestured to the phone, “Hey, you wanna hang out with Ann? She saw how mad Kamoshida was and wanted to check in with us.”

He shrugged, “I mean, sounds good. As long as I don’t have to do some girly shit.”

**Akira: Ryuji and I are game!**

**Akira: he only said, NO GIRLY SHIT**

**Akira: men**

**Akira: We’re by the vending machines outside Shujin**

  
  


**Ann: on it! (￣^￣)ゞ**

Akira gave a smile to Ryuji and looked over to the river of Shujin students heading to the station. After about a minute of looking for her, Akira spotted the twin blonde tresses and started to wave.

Ann bounded over, bringing sunshine over with her as she approached. 

“Hey guys! So, what do you want to do? We can paint nails, try on clothes, buy some make-up…”

Which each subsequent suggestion, Ryuji’s dismay grew and grew. 

“I said NO GIRLY SHIT!” He exploded, cutting Ann off. 

Ann and Akira shared a glance and started giggling. 

“We know!”

“Don’t worry!”

“Yeah, I was thinking either grabbing a bite to eat or something to drink.”

“Same! I was stuck between BBB or the diner.”

“I haven’t been to the diner before!”

“You cool with that, Ryu?”

Ryuji huffed and crumpled in on himself, “You two are devils. Evil, evil devils. But sure, the diner sounds great.”

Shaking his head to deal with the upturn of emotions, he started to get up. Ann helped Akira off of the bench. 

“I’m not gonna press this close to his lair, but are you two okay?”

“As good as we can be. We managed to get out mostly unscathed.”

Ann sighed, “Well, that’s something at least.” Smiling again, she spun to face both Akira and Ryuji, “Well, let’s get some food! That’ll help us feel better!” She clapped her hands together and ran off towards the station.

Ryuji looked over at Akira, “You able to go yourself or do you need help?”

“I feel good right now.”

“Aight, then let’s go!” Ryuji gave his sharktooth grin and ran off after Ann.

Giving herself a moment to take in this happy feeling, she beamed to herself and gave chase.

\---

Akira returned to Yongen-Jaya with a sense of confidence that had been missing for the past few days. 

The chat with Ryuji and Ann really gave Akira new hope that maybe things could work out. Her two friends were being friends with each other, so she could have a group to fall back on. They all understood just how shitty Kamoshida was, and were working together to create a game plan. Ann didn’t know about the other world yet, but Akira wasn’t really ready to do anything about that just yet. They made a plan and they had fun and laughed and she got to eat some tasty food. Things were looking up. 

Now she just had to put into motion the first part of their plan, letting Boss know about Kamoshida. 

Nodding to herself about the plan, she entered Leblanc for the evening. 

“Hey, Boss!”

“Oh, hey there. How was school today?” Boss tilted his head towards her while he kept cleaning the espresso machine. 

Looking around the cafe to confirm that it was empty, she sighed and sat down at the bar, “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

Sojiro stopped and put his rag down, “What’s going on? What happened today?”

“Today was the volleyball rally… and it was a rough day.”

“Uh… how so? I thought you liked sports?”

“I do! It’s just…” she flopped her hands on the counter, “you know how I told you my first day that there was some creep on my way to school?”

“Yeah…?” he furrowed his brows, not really liking where this was going.

“Turns out the creep is the gym teacher. And he made his intentions  _ rather clear _ today after I showed off at volleyball.”

Sojiro’s jaw dropped but an inch, “Are you kidding me? You have a freaking child predator at your school? Are you sure? I’m not doubting you, I just want to make sure…”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She flopped her head onto the counter as well. “He tried to corner me after school and called me a whore and told me that he was available if I ever wanted to stop playing coy and hard to get. Grabbed me too, Ryuji helped me get out of there.”

Sojiro went stone silent.

Akira cautiously lifted her head off of the counter and looked up. “Boss?”

He still looked terrifying, but decided to answer, “I’m gonna be leaving earlier than usual. I’m gonna make a phone call to your homeroom teacher. Anything else that I need to know about this situation before I do so?”

“Umm. I don’t know if the school is going to do anything. Not to be pessimistic or anything, but like, he’s very close with the principal. And, well, I found out that he’s the one who leaked my past to the school to try and pressure me to be with him. And, uh, he, uh,” she started to shrink as Sojiro’s brows started to twitch, “he, uh, is already sleeping with and abusing the students and the principal won’t do anything about it.”

The rag that he was holding to give his hands something to do ripped. He looked down at the rag and tossed it in the trash. 

“Well, thank you for letting me know. I will share all of this with Kawakami. At least see if we can play interference while I forward this to some old colleagues of mine.”

“Old… colleagues?”

“I was government. You make connections, even if you don’t use them.”

Her eyes went wide as she nodded.

“Well, thank you for telling me, I’m going to try and see what I can do about this all now. Curry is in the fridge if you get hungry. Please try to get some rest, I  _ will _ take care of it.”

He nodded one last time as he grabbed his coat and practically ran out the door, phone grasped firmly in his hand.

Akira slumped down and grinned. That went better than she could have hoped. She pulled out her phone to tell Ryuji and Ann the good news.

\---

Walking down the alleyway towards the bar, Sojiro pulled out his phone and sent a text to Kawakami. 

**Sakura: Are you free? I need to have a serious conversation with you about Akira.**

While waiting for her response, he lit up a cigarette to try and steady his nerves.  _ Fucking child predators. And he’s getting away with it?  _

A minute or two passed before he got a response.

**Kawakami: Give me a moment to finish something up, and I’ll give you a call?**

**Sakura: Thanks. It’s urgent.**

Right as Sojiro was finishing up his cigarette, Kawakami called him. 

“Sakura here.”

“What is so urgent? Has anything happened to her? She’s been doing well in class if that’s your worry.”

“That is good to know, but not at all what I wanted to talk about.”

“What’s going on?”

“Did you know that your gym teacher is a child predator and tried to assault Akira today?”

“What?”

“Apparently he cornered her, called her a whore, and tried to drag her to his office for a ‘chat.’”

A gasp came through.

“And, not only that, but she found out that  _ he _ was the one who leaked her records! Just so he could have this chance!”

“Kamoshida! How would he? Why would he? What?”

“His name is Kamoshida? Isn’t that the Olympic athlete?”

“Yeah, he came here to teach after the Olympics. He’s been doing so well with the team that he’s regarded as a hero here.”

“With great power comes great corruptibility.”

“You don’t mean..?”

“Yes, I do. He’s apparently been hurting the kids and trying sleep with them. She told me that he’s already forced one of them to sleep with him already… her new friend… Ann? I think…”

“I heard rumors… but I had thought that it was just the students being rude to her due to being foreign.”

“I see, he likes to collect the special female students.”

He can hear her starting to hyperventilate over the phone.

“Pull yourself together. I can tell that you had no idea about it, but you’re going to have to  _ get  _ an idea about it.”

Another deep breath, “You’re right. You’re right. I’m gonna go, I gotta look into this and see what I can dig up. I’ll be in contact. And, I’ll do my best to keep those girls safe. I… I didn’t know.”

“And now you do, so do your job and look out for the kids.”

“You’re right. Thank you for informing me. I’m on it.”

A click. Dial tone.

Sojiro’s shoulders slumped down as he reached for another cigarette.

\---

No matter how annoyed Kawakami was earlier that she was cut from the rotation for the day due to slow sales, she was now beyond grateful. 

She had called Sakura-san the moment she had arrived home, so she now took the time to shed off her Becky costume and put it away for the evening. As soon as her work uniform was away until her next shift, she dove over her laptop to begin looking into Kamoshida and seeing what level of merit there was to what Sakura-san had said. 

It wasn’t that she disbelieved Kurusu-chan or anything, but it just went against everything about Kamoshida that she was told by the principal. 

The longer she looked, the more frustrated she got. 

There was nothing about him in the system. She even tried to look at the school camera’s memory banks, only to find that the ones in the gym and in his office were shut off the entire time that practice was happening. 

And that it was like that every day. 

_ There’s something very wrong going on here. _

She wrote out an email to the Kobayakawa-san, just to get a feel of the situation.

**To: Kobayakawa, Principal**

**From: Kawakami, Teacher 2-B**

**I had forgotten to mention it earlier due to the rally today, but a student came up to me with concerns about Kamoshida. Said that there was an uncomfortable situation with him. Was curious about what to do next.**

**Thank you,**

**Kawakami, Teacher 2-B**

She reheated some leftovers while waiting for the answer. About halfway through her resuscitated udon, she received a reply.

**To: Kawakami, Teacher 2-B**

**From: Kobayakawa, Principal**

**I’m sure it was nothing. Kamoshida has certainly done nothing wrong or to merit such slander. Tell the student to not worry about it. Don’t bring up baseless slander to me in the future. Kamoshida is bringing our school to greatness and I don’t want baseless rumors to put that future in peril.**

**Have a good night,**

**Kobayakawa, Principal**

She groaned. 

There was something very, very wrong. And she would have to handle it herself.

She took a picture of the email thread and sent it to Sakura-san.

This was getting to be too much. But, she owed it to Takese to keep going.

\---

Akira was enjoying a final cup of coffee as she thumbed through the Sherlock Holmes compendium that she had borrowed from the library. 

She had found the first story with Irene Adler in it and her heart started to sing as she read more and more. 

**Kira: Hey**

**Kira: You should read about Captain Kid sometime**

**Ryuji: Uh**

**Ryuji: why?**

**Kira: Because I’m reading about Adler right now**

**Kira: and like**

**Kira: I can feel Adler jumping for joy in my heart and it’s fantastic**

**Ryuji: for real?**

**Ryuji: that sounds bomb**

**Ryuji: but like, will it be boring?**

**Kira: you’re gonna be getting a book on pirates**

**Ryuji: you right**

**Ryuji: help me find one, please?**

**Kira: sure thing**

Putting her phone down, she turned another page, smiling to herself. She was gonna pull a fast one over Kamoshida like Adler did all of these men in this tale. 

She burrowed further into the booth she was in and took a sip of her coffee. 

_ Things are going to work out. I know it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Another chapter done!
> 
> We’re starting to get a few more changes to the narrative. Same events, different reason behind them. 
> 
> I had someone comment on my other main fic about how I was making some characters far too nice for the early part of the game, and i came to the realization that they were absolutely right, and I love it. This game is dark, these situations suck. And this is fanfic. So, I’m giving these poor babies stuck in shitty places some joy in at least knowing they have rock solid community and support despite the literal shitbags in their way trying to bring them down. So yeah, these people are going to be much more supportive and close and helpful because that’s my escapism. That people have quality support in the hard times. 
> 
> Please let me know how you like it! The next chapter houses the talks with Morgana and Ann. Obviously in slightly different lights now that Akira has done some friendshipping in the meantime with them in different ways. 
> 
> I love feedback. And I’ll be working on the next chapter soon!


	6. April 14th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our friends get introduced to a unique solution to their Kamoshida problem, a conversation regarding friends and safety is had, and decisions are made and guilt is had. 
> 
> Also, Ryuji attempts to do his homework. We don't get an answer as to whether or not he finished it however.

****

_ Another morning, another day of school _ . Akira stretched her neck as she slid into the subway seat she managed to snag this morning. 

While she was still nervous about the advances of Kamoshida, she felt better about it than she had since arriving at Shujin. She just had to keep avoiding him for a little bit longer, and then Boss would do something about it. And, he told her teacher, the one adult at Shujin who seemed to give even half of a shit about her. 

Well, she was about to take lunch in the classroom a lot more often, as far as she could tell. 

\---

As the lunch bell rang, Ann spun around in her seat to face Akira. 

“Sorry, for showing up just as the bell went off this morning, I wanted to talk to you about last night! How did it go?”

“It went really well. I ended up rambling everything to Boss, and well, he said he’s gonna tell..”

“Me.”

The two students shot up in their seats as Kawakami leaned over the two of them.

“Sensei?” Ann’s eyebrows were skyrocketing as she was trying to take in what was going on.

“Mind if I join you guys real fast?” Kawakami asked as she grabbed the chair from the next desk and spun it to allow her to join the two of them.

Akira smiled and nodded at Kawakami, and then turned to Ann to try and explain more of what happened when the teacher cut in once more. 

“I want to say sorry. To both of you, but especially to you, Takamaki.” At Ann’s head tilt of confusion, she continued, “I heard about what’s been happening with Kamoshida. And it isn’t acceptable and I’m so sorry for not doing anything about it before now or even noticing.”

“What?” Ann’s hand flew up to her mouth.

“Her guardian told me everything. And, yeah… so I know. And I’m sorry. I failed you as a teacher.” She shook her head. “But that changes now. I’m talking with Sakura-san to try and make up a case to get him in trouble for what he has done. And, in the meantime, I will do what I can to play interference for both of you.”

“Thank you.” Akira quietly said, with a small smile across her face. 

“So, in the meantime, avoid him as much as you can, as there isn’t much I can do out of this room to protect you. Also, the principal isn’t helping at all, so there really isn’t anything I can do. And, honestly, Kobayakawa may have told Kamoshida that there was a complaint about him… so you should really do your best to avoid being alone with him if you can.” Kawakami let out a full body sigh. “And, Sakura-san and I are trying to keep this on the quiet end of things until we have a full case set up, so Kamoshida doesn’t escalate or do a runner or anything. So, don’t be surprised at anything I may do or say. I’m looking out for you and am trying to help, but I have to act like I’m not. Kamoshida is like the king of this school, and the principal is letting him do as he pleases.”

“I get it. We gotta stay down until we strike. We’ll get him in a trap.” Ann pounded her fist against her open palm with a grin on her face.

“As long as I know that someone is gonna have an eye out, that’s enough for me.” Akira gave a nod.

“Awesome! Thank you for understanding.” Kawakami grinned and then got up and brushed off her skirt, “With that out of the way… I gotta pretend this talk never happened and finish my lunch up there…. But, Takamaki, I want to apologize once more.” Ann waved her off with a smile. The teacher looked towards the door. “Thank you for helping me with some lunchtime chores!” She announced suddenly in a louder voice. With a wink to the two students, she scurried up to her desk and got back to work grading their homework.

Akira turned back to Ann, “So, uh, yeah. That’s what I was going to pretty much tell you. But yeah, straight from the source instead.”

“So, how did your guardian react?”

“More than I expected. Like, he ripped a towel apart. Like, shit, I didn’t realize he would be so mad! It shocked me a bit.”   
  


“Wow.” Ann’s eyes had widened at that, “I guess he really does care. That’s incredible.”

“I got real lucky getting placed with him. That’s for sure.” She sighed and propped her head up with her hand. She glanced over to the clock on the wall, “Dang it, we only got a few minutes left, let’s put this stuff away.”

As the bell rang to announce the end of lunch, Akira couldn’t help but feel like there was another one or two of those weird warmths from before trying to establish themselves as well… but they just weren’t clicking just yet.  _ Weird. _

\---

**Ryu: Hey!**

**Ryu: Meet me by the soda machines after school**

**Kira: Sure?**

**Kira: What’s up?**

**Ryu: I just remembered something that cat said last time we were in that weird place.**

**Ryu: And I realized I didn’t get a chance to tell you because, well.**

**Kira: gotcha**

**Kira: I’ll be there.**

**Ryu:** **(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ**

**Kira: youre a fucking nerd**

**Ryu: (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ**

Akira couldn’t help but shake her head in amusement while heading to the vending machines in the courtyard. How a guy who was so set on looking like a punk was actually a nerd who used emojis like that was beyond her. 

She turned the corner to the agreed meeting place and suddenly felt an arm slung around her shoulders. She saw Ryuji’s bright yellow in her peripheral and allowed him to lean onto her. 

“Okay, Ryu, what’s up?”

“First things first, here’s a drink.” Ryuji took a step away from her and tossed her the soda that he had stuffed in his bag. “I got these a minute ago, you like this kind, right?”

She nodded back to him as she opened the drink. “Let me ask again, what’s up?”

“Okay, so you know how I was saying that there was a chat in that weird whatever world? And like, you weren’t really part of it… because…. You know.” Ryuji’s leg is bouncing like there’s no tomorrow.

“Yeah, I wasn’t doing too hot. But continue.”

“Well, like, there might be something we can do to Kamoshida in that weird world.”

Akira was suddenly laser focused on Ryuji with narrow eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t really get it. But apparently with the personas we can do… something? I don’t know, the cat said to meet him back there and such wh...”

“ _ I AM NOT A CAT!”  _ There was a yowl from the bush behind them as a black blur appeared on the table in front of them.

“What the fuck.” Akira breathed out while trying to figure out what had just happened. She blinked a few times to realize that she had not hallucinated, there was a cat in front of them now.

“Did that cat just talk?” Ryuji’s voice cut through her mental confusion.

“I am  _ not _ a cat!” The adorable little thing opened its mouth in protest.

_ Holy shit. The cat did talk. _ Akira’s jaw dropped a little. 

“Wait… is that you, Morgana?” She finally was able to fully make words. 

“Yep! It’s me!”

“How did you get over here?” her voice was a little harsher than she meant, but she felt she could be excused in her confusion.

“How do you go between the two realities?”

“We… we use a smartphone app to trigger the change.”  _ What the fuck is going on right now. _

“Wait. Does that mean you have a phone?”

Both Morgana and Akira froze and stared at Ryuji.

“What? How am I supposed to know how this magic crap works?”

Akira stared for another moment or two and then shook her head. 

“How can you talk as a cat anyways?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

Ryuji stared at Akira with pleading eyes, “Please tell me you can hear him too.”

She thought for a moment, and then smirked, “Meow?”

“No! Stop that! None of that now!” He started furiously clutching his head. 

“Sorry, Ryu. I had to, it was a perfect joke.”

He sighed and rotated his arm to admit that she had a good point.

“So, Morgana, why did you come all the way over here?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” He sat with perfect posture, soaking in the attention. “I wanted your help with something. And, I want to help you. So, you scratch my back, I scratch yours?”

“Okay, we’re listening.” Ryuji leaned in. 

As Morgana went to open his mouth once more, a voice was heard in the walkways behind them. “Are you sure there’s a cat on campus? You think we would have found it by now.” “I think I heard a meow a moment ago over here.”

“Oh shit.” Akira’s eyes were wide as she tried to find a place to hide Morgana. Her eyes scanned her open bag, “I’m sorry!” She grabbed Morgana’s scruff, swung her other arm underneath him and gestured to her bag. 

“Open it!” She hissed at Ryuji. And plopped the feline into the bag and zipped it nearly all the way up. “I didn’t want to do that, but you need to keep quiet until we get somewhere safer.”

She got a quick moment of a growl, but it calmed down by the end of her sentence. A whisper, “You better be sorry.” and then silence. 

Turning to Ryuji, Akira’s eyes were scanning through all of her options as if they were physically listed in front of her. 

“The roof! Let’s head to the roof!” She announced after a moment, snatching her bag and walking with confidence right past the teachers who were searching for a cat.

“Damn.” Ryuji watched her go for a moment and then ran after her. 

\---

“So, if I am getting this right…. We are the only ones who can understand you?”

“Yep! I kept yelling your names and everyone kept cooing over how cute of a cat I was.”

“And… if we go with you back to that weird world and fight more shadows with Adler and Captain Kidd, we’ll be able to beat up Shadow Kamoshida and literally beat him into a not shitty person?”

“Well, you have to steal his treasure, but I would imagine there’s a good chance he’ll be in the way of that.”

“But, if we mess up, he’s clinically brain dead and will probably commit suicide and die.”

“It’s a small chance, only if we mess up.”

Akira and Ryuji both look at each other after that quite summary and think about it.

“Like, either way, Kamoshida stops hurting students. One way he’ll like fess up, but the other way he just stops.”

“He could die.”

“But he wants to rape you.”

“Valid. I just… hmmmm.”

“What up?”

“Boss has a plan that he’s setting up to take care of things. And Kawakami is watching out for Ann and I at school. And Ann has a lot of photoshoots going on. I kinda want to see what his plan is. If he can get it to work soon… I have to admit… I would love to see Kamoshida go down while he’s still a massive dick.”

“That’s a very good point. Watching him actually be angry about getting caught would be great.”

The two nod at each other.

“But what about me?” Morgana yowled.

“I want to help you. But I want to see what my guardian wants to do before I get in the way of his plans. But, um, if we don’t end up using your method… we’ll find someone else who has a Palace thing and help there! You said that others have them, right?”

“They do… I guess that works.” The cat tilted his head, “So, when do I know which plan we’re going to do?”

“Tomorrow? You want to meet us tomorrow after school… In the alleyway across from the school?”

“Deal!”

Akira then was able to be part of the weirdest handshake of her life to date. 

\---

_ Did you hear that the staff is looking for a cat? _

_ A cat? ~Oh my goodness!~ I want a cat! _

_ Think we can make it the mascot of Shujin? _

Ann shook her head hearing all of the chatter. The drink she was trying to get from the machine wasn’t coming out, forcing her to shake the machine. The clank of the can hitting the opening finally came and she reached down to grab her can. 

As she did, she felt a presence behind her and then a subtle hand on her back. She shot right back up to standing just to see Kamoshida towering over her. 

“Oh, don’t be so shy. It’s just me.” He smirked down at her.

“Oh, hi. I actually have to get going.”

“So fast, are you sure?” He cocked his head at her.

She realized that there was no way anyone could see her right now due to the alcove for the machines.  _ Shit. _ “Yeah. I have a shoot today, I just wanted to grab a quick drink for the ride over.”

“Where’s it at, I could give you a quick ride? Haven’t had a moment alone with you for a while.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be late to practice. And, besides! I’m kinda having a day where I want to be alone in my thoughts for a moment.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t get too lost in your thoughts, wouldn’t want you to get worry lines.”

“I’ll do my best!” She gave a nervous laugh that she hoped he thought were more on the ditsy side.

“Well, I’m holding you to a date soo, alright? I’ve been really patient as of late and I’m running out.  _ Remember that. _ ” His voice dripped down to a threatening whisper.

“Uh…. Y-yes, sir!” She gulped, unable to hide her discomfort now.

He smirked, “That’s what I like to see.”

He moved out of the way to let her run off and watched her go off.

“Wait… I don’t remember a shoot today being on that schedule of hers that she gave me.” He muttered and started off towards his office. 

\---

Akira was rather distracted while on her commute back home. Between wrapping her head around the fact that Morgana was able to come to the real world, actually was a cat (despite his feelings about that topic), could speak in human tongue to Ryuji and Akira only, had a magic way to fight Kamoshida, and everything else… she was a little preoccupied. 

Which led to her actually running into Ann in a rather literal sense while trying to cut a corner in Shibuya. Who was in the middle of openly crying and was slumped on the ground. 

It took Akira’s brain a moment to tear itself away from its musing and comprehend what was going on, but leapt to the ground to chat with Ann the moment she was back in reality. 

“What happened?”

More tears.

“Can you stand?”

A shake of the head.

“Okay, I’m going to help you up. And we’re gonna grab something to eat from…” She looked up to see what food was closest. “Big Bang Burger. And I’m gonna grab you a burger and drink. And we’re gonna chat.”

\---

After grabbing a giant stack of napkins to use as tissues and forcing Ann to eat something, the two had finally gotten to a peaceful silence.

“Okay, I gotta know, what the hell happened?”

“Kamoshida.”

“What did he do?” Akira’s voice was pure steel. 

“Nothing. But.. he just called me. He… he realized that I lied to him today to get out of some time with him.”

“And? I feel like that wouldn’t be enough to reduce you to tears.”

“He asked me once more if I wanted to spend time with him. And, well, I told him no. Because, as I had said to him earlier, I kinda wanted to be by myself today.” She took a deep breath, “And, he warned me that that wasn’t a good idea, and that I would have to pay for it later.”

“I sense an ‘and?’”

“He said he bet it was your bad influence, because he knows that we’ve become friends and that you’re trying to break me and him up and, that, if that’s the case, he might have to take it out on Shiho.”

“Shiho?”

“She’s my best friend. This whole thing with him only even started because he threatened that if I didn’t, he’d go after her and I couldn’t let him do that. So, I took her spot. And have been since. And, and… he said that I’m breaking our deal with my current actions. Unless I come back to the school now and make up for ‘disobeying’ him.”

Akira was aghast. “Are you kidding me?”

“I don’t know what to do! Do I listen and save her? Is it too late?” Ann slammed her hands onto the table in frustration, tears threatening to fall once more. 

“Hey, hey, none of that now.” Akira puts her hands over Ann’s. “Remember, no letting him have any sway. And no being near him anymore. He isn’t safe.” She looks in the distance to think for a moment. “Let me text Boss, he can talk to Kawakami-Sensei, and she can maybe try and nab her for some reason? Also, adds more evidence to our case.”

She looked at Ann and tried to give as hopeful of a smile to her as she could muster up. And, while it seemed to work for Ann, as she was nodding in agreement, all Akira could think about was the Suzui that she saw in the Palace. She knew that there was nothing that could be done to save Suzui now, it had been too late for a while. Especially if her coach was in a foul mood.  _ Plus, I need to save Ann first. I can’t say that I’m protecting my friends if I send them right into danger. Please, forgive me, Suzui. _

“Yeah, yeah, that should work!” Ann was trying to wipe her face of any signs of her crying once more when her phone buzzed. A grin appeared on her face. “Well, I don’t think we have to worry. I just got called into a shoot! Someone called out. So, I have a legit excuse. Let me just screenshot this and send it to him… And… there! See you later!” Ann beamed as she sent the needed texts and got up to leave. 

“You have a good time! Be safe!” Akira waved to Ann as she bustled out the door.

Picking up a leftover fry, Akira couldn’t help but think that things were not as easily solved as Ann was hoping.

\---

The entire ride back to Leblanc, Akira couldn’t get the images of the Palace versions of Suzui, Ann, and herself out of her head. She may have saved Ann today, but what about Suzui? What about herself? Was what she did the right thing?

She knew that her discomfort was written all over her face as she entered Leblanc, but she couldn’t bring herself to change it. She was absolutely mortified about how the day had ended up going. 

_ Once Leblanc closes for today, I’m gonna have to tell Boss. See how fast we can get this taken care of.  _

If it ends up taking too long…

She shook her head as she held a hand up as a greeting to Boss and headed quickly up the stairs to avoid the customers. 

**Akira: Can we talk after you close up?**

**Akira: Got some new info**

**Boss: Yeah, I’ll call up.**

**Boss: Do your homework.**

**Boss: Got a cup of coffee for you to study with**

**Akira: Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you as a human?**

**Boss: Come down and say it to my face**

Begrudgingly, Akira got out all of her school work and got her whole workspace organized before she shuffled downstairs to grab her lifeblood from Boss. 

\---

  
  


“Akira! I’m closing up shop!” Boss’s deep voice called up the stairs shortly after the last bell ring. 

She sighed as she grabbed her now empty cup of coffee and headed downstairs. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about this conversation and couldn’t stop being anxious about it. Couldn’t stop thinking about she had probably condemned Suzui due to keeping Ann safe. 

“So, what is so important after yesterday’s conversation?”

She slipped the cup into the already sudsy sink. “So, I found another student that may be in danger.”

“Are you kidding me?” he grumbled.

“Yeah… Ann’s best friend. She, uh, apparently was the reason Ann was involved at all. Like, he threatened to hurt Suzui, and so Ann demanded to take her place. And, uh, we took yours and Kawakami’s advice and ignored him. And, well, he didn’t like that.”

He groaned as he covered his face with his hand. “Why can’t you kids just make something easy for me for once?”

“Sorry, Boss.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re trying to talk to me about it.”

“So, how’s the ‘getting him trouble’ thing going?”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. It’s gonna be a long fight. I was hoping to get at least some protections in place quickly, but there’s a very strange amount of red tape. It’s like there’s some extra protections or something. It’s going to take a lot longer than anticipated to even get like protection orders against him, let alone get anyone to accept evidence against him.”

Akira’s face fell the more Boss talked.  _ I can’t wait for this to all work out. _

“I know it might cause some problems for you, but there’s sadly not really anything I can do. All I can say is don’t be at school for a moment longer than necessary. You need to stay safe. You  _ and _ your friends.” He looks to the side for a moment, face twisted in thought. “I don’t want this place to get loud and obnoxious, as that would upset my current clientele. But, you can bring those friends of your over from time to time if you can’t find a safe place to be.”

“Thank you, Boss!” She gave him the biggest smile she could muster. “I may not be thrilled about the fact that this is going to have to keep going on… but I am happy that you’re trying.”

“I just hope it’s enough…” He looked and saw Akira’s face fall once more as she looked away from him. “Hey, you helped your friend. There’s a chance that that asshole will take out his anger on someone else, but you helped your friend, and that’s you doing well. We’re gonna do what we can to stop him, but all you can do for now is keep yourself safe.”

She shrugged. “I don’t really want to talk about this right now.”

“If you say so. I won’t push. Just, try not to beat yourself up. That’s all I’m going to say.” He turned around and continued on the dishes. 

She stood there awkwardly for a moment, still feeling sheepish until she stood up, ramrod straight.  _ Wait. There is something I can do! I don’t have to wait. I can help now. _

“Uh, Boss?”

“Yes?”

“I’m gonna run upstairs and finish my homework. I got an essay to write tonight on Greek Philosophy. Logic and all of that.”

“You need me to leave you out a pot of coffee?”

“That would be  _ amazing _ .”

“Just clean it out before you sleep, alright?”

She gave a salute as her answer, grabbed her (newly filled) mug, and scampered up the stairs. 

**Kira: Ryu.**

**Kira: RYU**

**Kira: THIS IS IMPORT.**

**Ryu: Whattttttttt**

**Kira: I know we weren’t sure**

**Kira: but operation whatever the fuck that cat wants is a go**

**Ryu: What happened?**

**Kira: A lot. I’ll fill you in in person.**

**Kira: But, today’s events and what boss told me….**

**Kira: I think we need to have a serious talk about it.**

**Ryu: But we could like kill someone**

**Kira: I honestly do not give a shit.**

**Ryu: OH**

**Ryu: I will talk to you tomorrow then**

**Ryu: Anything you do want to tell me?**

**Kira: Boss’ method will take too long**

**Kira: Ann and I got away today**

**Kira: but i think he went after someone else**

**Kira: and i’m scared what will happen if we try and wait**

**Ryu: shit**

**Ryu: SHIT**

**Ryu: call me if you need me**

**Ryu: But we’ll talk about this tomorrow**

**Ryu: You gonna be okay?**

**Kira: Now that we have a game plan**

**Kira: The cat is meeting us across from school tomorrow**

**Kira: Don’t forget**

**Ryu: On it!**

5 minutes pass.

**Ryu: What did you write about in your phil paper?**

**Kira: Here’s a pic of my bulletpoint outline.**

**Kira: [Sent a picture]**

**Ryu: You’re the best**

**Kira: you know it**

Putting her phone down, she tried to focus on her paper. But, the more she tried, the more she realized how antsy she was. 

_ Maybe I’ll read another chapter of Sherlock Holmes to calm down. _

She pull out the library book and curled up in her desk chair, content to listen to Adler explain her point of view of the story as she read on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Another chapter is up!
> 
> Sorry for taking a long time to write this. I’ve had 3 (THREE) interviews for a job I really really want. And have been dealing with life overall in the meantime. 
> 
> ALSO KH3 IS OUT AND I’M ONLY WRITING THIS BECAUSE I CAN’T PLAY SAID GAME WHILE I’M AT WORK.
> 
> So, yeah. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this. I really tried to set up the events for the next chapter as well as I could. *You know what they are.* And, I was doing my best to give reasoning and a new set of conversations that will lead, overall, to the same thing. And, Akira is going to be dealing with that guilt from today’s choices for a *while*
> 
> As usual, please let me know what you think and any feedback you have. I really did keep everything that I was told last chapter in mind as I was writing this one. I may have a vision for this fic that I’m sticking to, but I love hearing ideas as to how to achieve that goal in an even better way. 
> 
> Also, I kept in my favorite line from the whole game, which is Ryuji asking if Morgana has a phone.
> 
> <3


	7. April 15th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of horrible things happen. The villain is, indeed, a villain. The heroes become set on their path. A new ally joins the fray. And a few special adults keep actually doing their jobs and try to take care of their children.

Akira did not sleep well last night. 

Between the realization that she was going to have to take her fate into her own hands, that she had pretty much condemned Suzui with her actions, her ever increasing worry for Ann, and the realization that there was a Biology quiz that she had forgotten to study for, Akira was a wreck. 

But, she managed to get herself out of bed. She had to. For Ann. For Ryuji. For Suzui…

She shook her head to get those thoughts out.  _ We have a plan. We’re gonna get back at that bastard and make him regret everything he’s ever done. _

She kept repeating that thought over and over as a mantra as she got ready for the day. Boss had given her an odd look at the stern face she had on while she was eating breakfast, but she guessed he just assumed she was nervous about school. He wasn’t wrong but also wasn’t entirely right. 

There was a lot at stake.

\---

She squirmed from nervousness over her plans the moment she sat down in the classroom and immediately pulled out her notebook. Frantically opening to a new page, she started writing all of her reasons for doing this magic takedown of Kamoshida versus Boss’s plan. She wanted to make sure she had it all down and all sensible before she tried to convince Ryuji to go along with her. 

Ann slipped into class right before the bell went off, looking more exhausted than ever. As she approached their desks, Akira made to open her mouth to inquire about her state, but Ann shook her head and just said the word, “Lunch.”

Nodding in agreement, Akira was about to get back to her list before she spotted Mishima. 

_ Oh no. _

Mishima looked bad. There was no way to say it any kinder without openly lying. He looked  _ bad.  _ His eyes were sunken in with dark grey, barely able to focus on anything and were without light. He was somehow even paler than when she had helped him at the Volleyball Rally, she could practically see his veins. He was very slightly trembling and shaking in his seat.  _ Yesterday did not go well. That’s another bullet point to my list. _

Akira looked up at Kawakami and stared until she got eye contact and then made a pointed glance at Mishima. Wide eyes. A nod in return. 

_ Good. _

Class started shortly after that, with Kawakami making an effort to not call on Mishima or call attention to how he was doing. And, any time that people’s eyes started to settle on him, she would start asking questions with renewed vigor, breaking people’s concentration before they had a chance to absorb his appearance.

Things were going as smoothly as they could until a scream was heard in the hallways. 

“SHE’S ABOUT TO JUMP!”

“THAT’S SUZUI!”

There was a collective gasp through the whole school, and then a tidal wave of people coming out of their rooms to see what was going on. 

Ann led the charge for their class, slamming against the window as she tried to reach out to her friend. She kept trying, continuously forgetting that there was a barrier between her and the person she wanted to save, with all of her strength. Clawing towards the window, pressing herself up against it, punching it. Anything to try and break free of the obstacle keeping her inside.

Akira stayed in her seat for an extra moment, unable to find the strength to stand. 

_ I killed her. _

There was another shriek, this time coming from Ann. It was the most heartwrenching sound Akira had ever heard. The caterwaul was only accentuated by Ann hitting the glass windows again, this time due to her collapse against them. 

  
It was this noise that jolted Akira out of her seat. She had to watch, for Suzui. It was the least she could do after condemning her to this fate. And, for Ann, to be there for her afterward. 

She had chosen Ann over Suzui, and had to live with that reality. She owed it to them  _ both _ to watch.

Due to her height, she was able to look over the crowd of students and see Suzui clearly approaching the ledge of the school roof. With each step she took, the collective student body tensed up further. While the administration was trying to corral students back into their classrooms, their demands fell on hollow ears. Nobody was in the courtyard trying to talk to her. Nobody was on the roof trying to reach out to her. 

Nobody tried to stop her. Nobody tried to comfort Ann. 

Nobody did _ anything _ .

Time stood still for everyone except for Akira, Suzui, and Ann. 

Suzui was now standing on the ledge. Trying to keep her balance as she peered over the edge, calculating the distance. 

Ann slumped further to the ground, slamming her fists against the window and the floor. Her wailing was now mostly sobs, her whole body convulsing with each hiccup. Each one quieter than the last.

Akira was frozen still, taking this all in.  _ This is my fault _ . That phrase wouldn’t stop repeating itself as a mantra. But, no matter the guilt that she had, she kept looking at Suzui and just imagining Ann in her place. Imagining the sobbing Ann in front of her perched on that ledge… Akira couldn’t help but feel relief at her choice.  _ Does that make me a terrible person, I don’t know. But I cannot bring myself to care right now. _

_ But, something I can care about is Ann. _ The final whimpering sob came out of her friend just as Suzui seemed to stop looking down and instead looked forward with a smile on her face.  _ I have to do  _ **_something_ ** . Forcing herself to move despite her desire to hide, she ran up to Ann and hugged her, allowed Ann to cry on her arms as they watched on. 

With that last smile, Suzui closed her eyes and took that final step, plummeting down to the courtyard below. 

A final scream echoed throughout the school, Ann finally possessed into action. While the rest of the student body started to head towards the courtyard to try and see what happened, Ann took off, shoving everyone out of her way to get down to her friend, her best friend, her Shiho. 

Akira followed behind as quickly as she could, knowing she needed to be there for Ann and needed to see this through to the end. Needed to see the consequences of her actions up front. On the way, she ran into Ryuji, who just grabbed her hand and ran with her without a single word. 

He squeezed her hand as she stood in front of the courtyard doors, trembling to open them. She saw him nod at her out of the corner of her eye, which gave her just enough courage to follow through and enter. 

Ann was in the center, laying next to Suzui and caressing her face. She kept holding her fingers to her wrist or throat. Tears were glistening down her face, falling onto Suzui’s, her mouth moving nonstop, but the sound wouldn’t carry past the little circle of space around them. Her eyes had hope.

Her eyes had hope.

_ Her eyes had _ **_hope_ ** .

Akira’s mouth fell open at that realization and sprinted forward, shaking her hand out of Ryuji’s to dive down next to Ann. 

“Is she?”

“Just barely. She needs help. But…”

She was cut off by the ambulance entering the courtyard. The paramedic team crouched down next to Ann and started to work on Suzui. Meanwhile, another member of the team started whispering to Ann. 

“She’s still alive! Let’s move!” the paramedic announced to the team. 

There was a sense of relief in the air, a collective deep breath. 

“We need someone to go with her to the hospital, are you up for it?” The paramedic turned back to Ann. 

Ann nodded, trying her best to hold back her overwhelming joy while still crying. 

“Ann!” Akira yelled before she jumped onto the ambulance. 

She turned, confused, until Akira gave her a giant hug. She beamed as she returned it in full, and then leapt into the vehicle, taking her place by Suzui’s side. 

Akira started to cry tears of joy as she started to process everything that had just happened. 

_ No one died. _

**_No one_ ** _ died. _

**_I didn’t kill her._ **

She turned to share in her relief with Ryuji, but saw him following some motion with his head and narrowed eyes. He turned to her and made a quick gesture to follow him and he dove through the crowds to follow… whatever it was that he wanted to follow. With all the chaos in the school, no one noticed Ryuji and Akira sneaking between the classes returning to their rooms into a storage closet to corner whoever it was that they were following.

Ryuji waved Akira inside super quickly before following suit and quietly closing the door behind them. She turned from Ryuji to see who they had followed to be stunned at the appearance of Mishima. 

“Ryu… why did we follow Mishima here?”

“That’s my question! Mishima!” He pointed right at him, “Why you run away from Suzui like this is your fault!” He was roaring with anger towards the end. Akira was very glad that the school was buzzing with emotion enough that that outburst shouldn’t be really noticeable. 

Mishima cowered further into himself the more Ryuji spoke. 

_ What is going on here? _

As she was trying to get her brain to think logically about things again after all that just happened, she noticed Mishima was starting to panic. She gestured at him to Ryuji and Ryuji started to look cowed. 

_ Wait.  _ A sudden flash of the Palace version of Mishima came to mind.  _ He leaked my info because of Kamoshida… what else did Kamoshida force him to do? _

“Ryu! I think this has to do with Kamoshida.”

“That bastard! For real!?! What the eff did he do this time!” Ryuji’s hands were clenched into passionate fists, antsy to find purchase in Kamoshida’s face.

“Remember… Kamoshida forced him to leak my information. And hurts him on the volleyball team. Who’s to say this isn’t related.” She turned back to Mishima, “Isn’t that right? Mishima?”

A small “Eep!” was heard from the boy laying on the ground across from them. Mishima dragged his head up and gave a small nod. 

Akira crouched down. “We know it’s his fault, he’s a friggin prick. But, what happened? My guardian is actually making a legal case against him and we’d love more insight. We can totally anon you for it, you’re a minor after all!”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

“Okay.” Mishima forces himself up to a sitting position. “So, as you said, Kamoshida forced me to leak your information online. I wish I could take it back… but Kamoshida…”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad at you, I promise.” She holds a hand up before he can get too lost in that train of thought.

“Okay… uh. So… as you probably already know, especially being friends with Sakamoto here, Kamoshida is a, uh, hands-on coach.”

Ryuji’s hands managed to ball up even tighter. 

“If he is in a bad mood, he chooses one of his ‘favorites’ and has a talk with them in his office. People don’t come out unscathed.” He looks down again before taking a breath, “He was really mad yesterday. He called for me first… and then he got a text from Takamaki-san. And then asked for me to get Suzui.”

_ I knew it. I knew it was already too late for him. But… Suzui… that was all my fault… I threw her to the wolves… how could I do that? I did this to her. None of this would have happened if I just kept to myself... _

_ But she’s alive. She’s alive. She’s alive. I need to focus on that. _

“I, uh, I didn’t know how bad it would be!” He scrambled to get this part out, “I mean, he roughs us up! But, he usually doesn’t take too much out on Suzui! I think Takamaki-san made a deal with him or something, and then he usually only takes it out on me.” He sighs. “But I heard what happened yesterday, and I was so scared that I ran home. I just ran home. And I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t believe it. I just let that happen. I left her with him!”

“Mishima. Mishima!” She calls out to get his attention. “I don’t blame you at all. This is not your fault at all. I need to make sure you know that. This is my fault.”

“How? You weren’t even there?”

“You know that conversation with Ann he mentioned? I was also there. And I told her to say no. I told her to not come back to school and to not talk to him again. And she listened to me.”

“You… told her to say no? And… she did?”

“Wait! Is this what you wanted to talk to me about!?! How you knew something happened to Ann and Suzui?!?” Ryuji burst into the conversation, unable to stay silent any longer. 

“Yeah. I found out a ton more about Kamoshida that I can’t let go any further, and Boss’s plan is going to take some time…”

“Then I’m game. The cat’s plan is a go.”

Mishima stared at the two of them, completely confused and bewildered. “What… are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it, Mishima.” Akira gave him a stunning smile. “Now, something you can do for us is to help us out to get back at Kamoshida.”

“Right! We gotta take him down!”

“He… used Suzui in Takamaki-san’s place. That means… he used Takamaki-san too, oh god. He needs to be stopped. I want to help.” The two of them are nodding at Mishima, trying to encourage him to keep going. 

Instead of continuing talking, however, Mishima’s head snapped up. “I want to help. I have to help. I have to stop him.” He keeps muttering to himself as he precociously stood back up. Wobbling on his feet, he kept looking eerily head while murmuring about having to stop Kamoshida. 

“Mishima… what are you doing?” Akira slowly asked him as he started to amble towards the door.

“I need to stop him. This is my fault. I let her go in there. I put you in danger, I put her in danger, I put them all in danger. I NEED TO STOP HIM!” Mishima’s volume and intensity increased as he got fired up. At his final declaration, he yanked the door to their closet open and started to sprint towards, presumedly, Kamoshida’s office. 

“We, uh, need to follow him. He will not be safe.” Akira whispers to Ryuji, and then takes chase. Ryuji nods after a moment of surprise and then follow suit. 

The two of them sprint across the school and into the Practice Building. Leaping up the stairs as fast as they can, they continue their chase of Mishima. No matter how injured he may be, the boy still had a well-earned spot of the Volleyball team, which made him difficult to keep in sight. He smashed his way right through other students who were unfortunate enough to be in the hallway at that time, while Akira and Ryuji tried their best to maneuver around those in their way.

They ended up being right in their guess, the boy barged right into Kamoshida’s office with a yell. 

Wide-eyed at the danger Mishima had put himself into, the two pushed the last bit of their energy into reaching the door before it closed once more. Ryuji got a steely glint in his eye as he started to truly sprint and managed to grab the door just before it slammed shut. Akira gave him a stunning smile for catching the door in time and slid in under his outstretched arm. 

And that grin was swiftly wiped off of her face as soon as she took in the scene in front of her inside of the office. 

Kamoshida was the angriest she had ever seen him and was holding Mishima with his arm trapped behind his back with his other hand digging into his shoulder. 

“You fucking punk. You think that you’re gonna cause  _ me _ to feel regret? For what?” He opened his mouth to continue but then sees Akira and Ryuji have joined them in the office. 

“Oh, you brought friends. That’s good.” He smirked. “See? This is what you get! This is what you do? You bring garbage with you everywhere you go!” He chuckles to himself as he tosses Mishima on the ground.

“You see? You are the trash that leaked her files! You are the one who kept bringing Ann-chan and Shiho-chan to me! You are the one who ignored all their pleas! You are the one too stupid and too worthless to move out of the way when I hit you!” Mishima is shirking at each accusation like they’re daggers into his body. “And now, look at you, you brought the two people I wanted most to see right to me. And now you get to watch me deal with them.” He gave a giant, shit-eating grin.

“You get to watch me like the trash that you are. And you get to know that this is  _ all your fault. _ ”

He leaned over Mishima’s prone body with that smirk still proudly on his face. At the quiet sound of the boy's sobs, he gave a quick haughty ‘hmph’ and then looked back up at Akira and Ryuji, both staring with pure vitriol. 

“How dare you say all that, you bastard! It’s all your fault!” Ryuji was quick to fire back at him, shaking with anger. 

“Oh, you’re going to defend your ‘friend’ here? After all he did? Even you, whore?”

“Coercion is not someone acting on their own. I doubt you knew that though.” Was her curt reply.

“Oh, don’t you just sound like a fucking PSA. Get that saccharine garbage out of here. This trash isn’t worth defending.” He sneered once more down at Mishima, “Isn’t that right?”

Mishima gave another whimper in response.

“Not so brave now, are you? You got all fired up by your garbage friends, but now that you’re here, there’s not much to you. I mean, I already knew that, why else do you think I made you my punching bag? All I needed was a little dirt on you, and I knew I had you.” He gave a dark chuckle. “But, I guess I don’t need you anymore. You’ve stepped too far out of line.”

Mishima’s head jolted upwards, staring directly at Kamoshida with his mouth slightly ajar.

“That’s right. You’re off the team. I can’t have your disgusting ass anymore around my good players. I only accepted your ilk because I could tell you were an easy target and good for grunt work. But I can’t trust you for that anymore… and you started going to the nurses' office. And, as you know, we can’t have that, now can we?” He looked over once more to Akira and Ryuji, who were stuck between grabbing Mishima and staying away from Kamoshida. 

“Oh, I can tell that you guys don’t know. I guess nobody knows. It was one of my bargaining chips for him, you see. I keep his secret, he does my grunt work. But, you know, since I don’t have him for my grunt work anymore, I might as well share his secret…”

“NO! Don’t!” Mishima stuck a hand up to try and stop him from continuing. 

“It’s too late.” Kamoshida kicked him. “You see, your puny little friend here, he’s as queer as can be. I caught him one day looking at his teammates and brought him here and called him out on it. The dirty bastard admitted to it right away!”

Mishima looked at the ground in shame.

“You see, I can’t let some gay ass fag on my team with my good, strong players. And wouldn’t be horrible if someone were to find out that weak, little Mishima loved boys. So, I promised to keep his dirty little secret in exchange for some leg work. And, he takes my anger for the rest of the team because he likes it, doesn’t he.” Kamoshida has now reached down and grabbed Mishima by the hair. “Doesn’t he?”

“Let him go.” Akira actually beats Ryuji to the punch, her voice low and steely. 

“Excuse me, are you defending this bitch?” 

“Yes. Do you think I truly give a shit about his sexual preferences? It’s 2016, get with the picture. Unhand him.  _ Now. _ ”

“What are you going to do? Seduce me?”

“You know what? My guardian is government. And he doesn’t like the reports I’ve been giving him about your actions at school.” She slowly blinked while telling him as such, hoping that he doesn’t pick up on the small bluff.

“Oh really? You know this school is government backed right now? I can promise you the backer for the school will trump whoever your guardian  _ thinks _ he is. And, with the school already overlooking my actions… I doubt you’re going to really be able to take that anywhere… but that was really cute, sweetie. I think, for your troubles, I’m just going to expel you all at the next teacher meeting.”

She recoiled back. He dropped Mishima and took a step forward.

“You know... if you really want to… I can think of a couple of ways that you can convince me to let you off with just a warning.” He starts to reach out to her but is intercepted by Ryuji.

“You miserable ape! What do you think you’re doing? Defending the school whore?”

“I told Ma that I wasn’t going to start any more fights. Not after what you did last time caused her so much grief. But I also promised myself that not another effing creep was going to touch Kira. And you’re not fucking touching her.”

“Oh, that’s cute. I’m glad the monkey has decided to fall for the whore. But, that means nothing to me. You see, you touch me again, and you get arrested. And, unless you let her do her damn job, you’re going to get expelled. So you better step aside, boy.” 

Kamoshida swung his arm out, hitting Ryuji in the side and slamming him into the rotating whiteboard by the wall. Ryuji groaned as he fully fell to the ground. 

The school bell rang, announcing the end of the day.

“Ryuji! It’s time! Grab Mishima and go! You have to meet them! I’ll be okay! Don’t worry about me.” She ended with a wink, trying to not let her fear show with a winning smile painted on.

“No! I can’t just leave you with him. I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Trust me. I’ll be able to handle this.”

His eyes shot to hers and he did his best to read her sincerity. 

“Oh… okay… If you insist. I’ll be in the usual place. After I get him somewhere safe.”

She nodded, steeling herself for what was next. 

Ryuji took that as the signal to get up and grab their friend and help him towards the door. Before he left the room, he turned to make eye contact one last time with her. 

She gave a sad smile in return, and he hung his head as he left. 

“I’m glad that you could see sense, whore.” She grimaced as he closed the gap between them. 

\---

Ryuji hefted Mishima down the stairs, beelining his way to the nurses' office. Mishima had tried to tell him that he didn’t need to go to the nurse, but Ryuji had called him out on that bullshit right away by dropping him and telling him to stand back up then. 

“You didn’t have to be so rude about it.” Mishima grimaced as he was jostled by Ryuji once more. Ryuji glared at him in response. “Okay, okay. I can see you’re still mad about Kurusu.”

“And you effing aren’t?”

“I am… I’ve just… learned to not be. You learn to detach yourself from everyone else’s suffering when you’re around Kamoshida for a long time. ‘At least it isn’t me’ is the main thought that gets you through the day.”

Ryuji gives him a thoroughly serious look. “You know, you need to go to therapy.”

“What?”

“I’m not even joking. Ma and I started going after everything with my dad and then again with Kamoshida, and it helps a lot.”

“Oh. Maybe...”

“I’ll give you the name of my therapist, you should look them up. They already understand Kamoshida from my ranting. And, don’t worry, they’re, uh, LGBT friendly.”

“How… do you know that?”

“I’m, uh, what is it, bi? I realized while I was running track that I found some of my teammates hot. I still like girls, but like… pecs.”

Mishima was staring at him with wide eyes. “I’m… not alone?”

“Nowhere fucking near it, buddy. Don’t let jackasses like Kamoshida have any control of your life, man. He’s a dick who was going to find anything you were iffy on to tear you apart, and it just happened to be that you like boys. It could have been that you like to read for all he gives a shit. He just wanted you to feel bad so he could control you. He told you it had to be a secret and he made you feel bad about it.” He looked down at Mishima, “You being gay is like who you are, and there’s no reason to hate who you are. As Akira said, it’s 20-freaking-16. There are bigger fish to fry.”

“I’d love the name of that therapist.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave it with you after I drop you off, promise.” He gave a full-faced grin to the poor kid. 

They turned the final corner to the nurses' office. 

“Sakamoto?”

Ryuji paused before opening the door. 

“Yeah, Mishima?”

“Thanks.”

“It’s no problem.” 

\---

Sojiro Sakura was having an off day today at Leblanc. 

He was getting all of the day to work done just fine, and his regulars were coming in at their usual time and everything was fine on that front.

There was just something…  _ off _ … about today. And he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. 

He kept looking over at his phone anxiously. He didn’t usually have his phone visible, he was a huge proponent of being in the moment while he was at work. But with all the things going on in Akira’s life, he asked Futaba if she could possibly set up a, what was it, alert to let her know if anything of note happened at Shujin. He knew that even if something happened, it may not make it to any level of news, but Futaba had waved him off and promised that she would let him know if there was even a single peep. 

So, he had to trust her. And he had to hope that no news was indeed good news. 

The normal lunch regulars started to leave and Sojiro started to clean up after them. The lack of guests in the cafe had removed all excuses to not fret over Akira. She had looked so stressed that morning…. He didn’t know what she had planned, but he had a feeling that it was something.

He realized that he’s been cleaning the same corner of the counter for the last minute when he saw his phone light up.

With a gasp, he lurched towards the phone, fumbling it as he picked it up.

**Futaba: GO TO SHUJIN**

**Futaba: NOW.**

**Futuba: Ill send you the deets in a sec**

**Futaba: But you gotta get going**

He dropped the phone onto the counter, the clattering resounding through the store. 

Without a second thought, he sprinted towards the door. Only once his hand was resting on the knob did he remember that he needed his phone to call Kawakami for help. And that maybe he should lock up the cafe and grab his keys. 

\---

Having a mission felt… nice. 

Even if it was one she didn’t fully understand, Sojiro had looked so desperate when he had asked. So, she had agreed. Plus, she liked Akira, she seemed really nice that time she met her. And Sojiro had been happier in this past week than he had been in a while. So, she was willing to try.

He had asked for an alert if there was any news at Shujin that pertained to Volleyball, Coach Kamoshida, Akira Kurusu, Ann Takamaki, Suzui, or Ryuji Sakamoto. He told her that he wasn’t sure if she would be able to find anything, but Futaba couldn't help but laugh in his face. This would be easy. 

Even if she wasn’t at the top of her game right now.

Regardless, she would be able to do this, no problem.

There were multiple columns of information across all of her screens: each showing posts from various social media pages. She had set it so that all of the content from the Shujin geolocation would show up, but posts with any of the keywords he had told her would be highlighted. That way she might be able to make a connection her computer had missed. 

The vast majority was all pointless drivel. Who was the best in class, who had a cute outfit (though she did make note to buy a few cute t-shirts she found from some students’ Instagrams while she was looking deeper into some of the classmates), the new ‘it’ couple, what games were coming out soon (she didn’t realize that sequel was already coming out so soon! Time flies when you’re locked in your room, right?), how some kid attempted suicide off the roof named Suzui, what were good date locations in the area around Shujin…

She froze and scrolled back up. With a shriek, she frantically searched for her phone and then pounced upon it.  _ Gotta tell Sojiro!  _

After alerting him as she was asked, she gave herself about 5 seconds to congratulate herself on actually finishing a project. 

But then something else caught her eye…

**@Liber01**

_ Omg, did you see how mad Kamoshida was after Suzui was taken away? _

**@SETforlife**

_ Omg, right? He’s real mad. Today’s gonna be a rough day for sure. _

**@Liber01**

_ Did you see that whore new kid? She ran right into Kamoshida’s Office with that ape Sakamoto. What the hell do you think she’s doing? _

**@SETforlife**

_ Who the hell knows? Maybe we’ll be lucky and she’s offering her services to keep him calm since Takamaki went off with Suzui. _

**@Liber01**

_ You’re right! I hope so! I almost forgot about Takamaki leaving today. *shudder* that would be a very bad day indeed. _

“Oh… no. I gotta tell Sojiro!” 

Her break cut short, she worked the hardest that she had in months. Anything to make Sojiro happy.

\---

Once he was in his car, he was speeding as fast he could towards Shujin, having read everything from Futaba on his run to the vehicle. The phone was attached to his ear as he prayed that Kawakami-san would pick up.

“Sakura-san? What’s going on? I’m still at school.”

“Good! Head to Kamoshida’s Office. NOW!”

“What? Why?”

“Akira is there. WITH HIM.”

“What? Okay!”

“I’m on my way. But, I need you to get there as soon as you can. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yessir!”

The call was ended by Kawakami. 

_ Good, she’s taking this seriously. _

As he spun his car into the parking lot at Shujin, he got another alert on his phone. He was almost scared to look but convinced himself to peek. 

**Futaba: Here’s a map :)**

And, sure enough, it was a map of Shujin with the room he needed highlighted. 

He loved having a hyper-intelligent daughter sometimes. 

But right now he had to save his other ward. 

\---

Ryuji was sprinting towards the alleyway across from the school as soon as he was able to remove himself from Mishima’s side. 

The kid was great, and he understood that the dude needed someone, but someone else needed him more. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to leave her to the wolves. 

_ What if I get the magic cat, and sic him on shitbag? That should work, right? _

As he was doing his best to dodge all of the student groups still slowly milling their way out of the school, his leg finally managed to seize up.

“Dammit!” he started to collapse due to a particularly painful spasm in his leg and fell directly into Kawakami. 

“Oh, sorry, teach.”

“Ryuji…. Are you okay? Wait, more importantly, where is Akira?”

“Uh… She’s in Kamoshi-”

“Shit. Okay. I’m going to go and get her.”

“You are?” He was too busy being stunned at her swearing to wonder why she would go.

“Yes. Her guardian tipped me off as to what’s happening. Let me get her. Where should I bring her? I think she’ll need a friend.”

“She knows where I’ll be. She told me to run and meet her at the usual place.”

“Good. Now, if your leg is alright, I’m going to go now.”

“Please. Save her.”

A solemn nod was her response. 

The two sprinted their separate ways. 

\---

“So, cat.”

“Morgana.” the cat returned as a growl.

“Not the time. We agree to your plan, and Kamoshida actually has her held captive right now.”

“In the real world!?!” his tail sprang right up in surprise, poofing out at the ends.

“Yeah… it’s been a day. Someone is rescuing her, and then we’re gonna meet up here and get on it.”

“You sure she won’t want to rest?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be raring to go. Even if only for a little bit. We’ve got a lot banking on this.”

“Okay… Let me get ready then, so we can go as soon as she shows up.”

\---

Akira had willingly given up her freedom, again, to save someone. She felt like once was a situation, and now twice has it becoming some sort of hobby. 

She was doing all that she could to separate herself from what was going on. 

_ We’re gonna go to that Palace thing. And I’m going to rip your fucking spine out through your anus. _

Thinking up ways to murder him really seemed to be the best solution.

Suddenly, and thankfully before things had gotten too far, the door slammed open. 

_ Did Ryuji get help? _

To her surprise, it was her teacher, Kawakami. 

“You get your fucking hands off of that student.”

And when Kamoshida did not let her go.

“NOW!”

He slowly turned around to face Kawakami, his hands still not removing themselves from her, though Akira tried to see if she could move now that he was distracted.

“Oh, Sadayo-chan. How nice of you to join us. This damned whore here was just asking me to help her do her job.”

“I told you! Stop calling students that! She is  _ not  _ a whore!”

“That’s weird, I believe I saw some documents saying otherwise….”

“She is a student! This is illegal!”

“Hmmm. But… she hasn’t attempted to stop me… And we haven’t broken any laws yet. You see, nothing wrong here.”

“Even if nothing sexual has happened, you are physically harming a student!”

Akira finally ripped herself out of his grip and rolled on the ground. 

“Kawakami!” Her voice slightly raspy. “Thank you!”

Kamoshida smacked her across the face.

Kawakami’s eyes were aflame as she narrowed them. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Or what? You know the principal is in my pocket. You know I am the king of this school.”

“But will the police be as easily swayed?”

“With what evidence? This office is off of the camera grid. I requested it after the work to cover up that Sakamoto incident took so long.”

She took a quick step back, “That was a cover-up?”

“Of course it was! Do you think a weakling like that ape could ever actually try to attack me?” He started laughing raucously. 

Kawakami turned to Akira, “Honey, why were you alone with him? I saw Ryuji in the halls, why wasn’t he with you?”

“He threatened to arrest and expel us all at the next school meeting if I didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” a low voice carried its way into the room. 

With his apron still on, Sojiro Sakura stomped into the room and right up to Akira, crouching down next to her. 

“I caught them here in a… compromising position.”

Sojiro slowly cocked his head up at Kamoshida. 

“This true?” his eyes flickered back to Akira. 

“No, she’s just being crazy,” Kamoshida answered, sneering at the two women. “You know how wom-”

“I don’t believe I was asking you, asshole.” he gave a cavalier wave in the coach’s direction.

Akira gave a small nod.

“Well, that’s enough information for me.”

Sojiro stood back up, and wiped off his apron, and helped Akira up. 

“You able to walk?” he got a nod in response. “Good. Go hang out with your friends for a bit. I’ll be busy for a bit.”

“I ran into Ryuji! He said he was at the usual place!” Kawakami chimed in. 

The two of them created a barrier of a sort to prevent Kamoshida from getting to Akira as she slowly made her way out.

“Close the door on the way out!” Sojiro called back to her. 

The door slamming shut was her response. 

Sojiro grinned. “So, I happen to know that this room is off the grid. And I am very much looking forward to taking advantage of that fact. Did you know that I was high-level security and bodyguard for the government for most of my career life?”

Kamoshida couldn’t stop himself from gulping at that sentence. Especially after Sojiro stood to his full height and started cracking his knuckles.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And, I know you feel you run this school. And I’m sure you think you’ll be able to get out of this scot-free. And, you know what, you’re right, we have no proof of anything that happened within this room. But, I do have a lot of other proof. Proof that Akira and her friends were collecting for me since she arrived here that is, honestly, already enough to bring you down. The only reason you aren’t arrested already is because they’re going through all the paperwork.”

“I’ll have you arrested for breaking into the school!”

“I’m the guardian of a student who attends and reported an issue with a teacher and I only wanted to understand both sides. Also, good luck getting cops willing to arrest me. I make the best coffee in the city and trained half of them.”

“I’m going to enjoy breaking your kid in the meantime. And then, even though I told her otherwise, I am going to revel in expelling and then arresting those fucking kids at the next meeting. And, you!” He pointed at Kawakami. “I would recommend you find another job, as you’re going to fucking lose yours soon too!”

He looked smug once more. “Sure, you can be trying to make a case against me. But, while I still have my freedom, I am going to destroy all of yours. And I can already bet which stupid kids were the ones that you have helping Akira: Sakamoto and Ann…. and I’m going to crush them until they refuse to go against me.” He shook his head. “You see, unless you can magically make the case against me before May 2nd, I’m going to win.”

He started to chuckle maniacally, slowly growing into full-blown laughter.

Sojiro looked at Kawakami and shrugged. 

“Well, since you know where we stand, and have promised that nothing in this room will be used against us, and threatened us and all we love….”

He cracked his knuckles one last time and took a nice step back with his right leg. 

“This is for Akira.”

His fist made purchase right at Kamoshida’s cheekbone, crushing his face underneath the practiced pinpoint accuracy of Sojiro’s knuckles. The impact from the blow, combined with the inattention Kamoshida was showing, caused the man to go flying. He crashed into the filing cabinets on the other side of the room with a bang, slowly sliding down them with a dazed look on his face. 

Kawakami strode up to the prone Kamoshida, shook her head, and then raised her leg. 

The last thing Kamoshida remembered was the crushing pain as her foot slammed directly on his crotch, and then twisted.

\---

After the stress and anguish filled day at the hospital with Shiho, Ann was happy to be out of the stark white halls and back in the active Tokyo streets. 

Knowing that Shiho was in a coma was unbearable. Knowing she was in it because of Kamoshida’s threats, that was heartbreaking. Especially since she knew it was because she had ignored his call.  _ Leaving her to the wolves. _

_ How selfish could I be? Going to get ice cream and crepes while Shiho was… While she took my place. _

Ann knew that Akira had been right, but it had also led to this, and she didn’t know what to think right now. 

All she knew was that Kamoshida needed to go down, she needed to check in with the others, and she needed to get her charger from her backpack, which she had left at school. 

Which led to her current situation, slowly walking back to Shujin after hours. She couldn’t help but notice the lack of people in the usually crowded alleyways. It was strange.

She passed the vending machines right outside of school and heard something. Her head popped up out of its reverie and she thought she was Akira sprinting as fast as she could away from the school with rips in her jackets and a giant bruise across her face in the shape of a handprint. And were those  _ handprints _ along her neck?

_ Kamoshida! Not her too! _

Forgetting the charger she came for, she changed paths and followed Akira to the alleyway perpendicular to the school entrance. She heard Ryuji and a cat(?) call out Akira’s name and then everything went…. Red….

\---

“What the hell did that bastard do to you!?!” Ryuji burst out as soon as they were safely in the Metaverse. 

His leg was jittering uncontrollably and he couldn’t stop his hands from messing with his leather gloves. Every fidget was sending despair down Akira’s spine.  _ I didn’t think about how it would affect him. I put him in Ann’s place from this morning. _

“I’m… I’m sorry.” She rasped out. 

The others gasped at the sound of her voice, and Ryuji started growling as Akira awkwardly scratched at her throat. Morgana’s tail slowly started swiping from side to side. 

He thrust out his hand and grabbed Akira’s. “What. Did. That. Bastard. Do.” He ground out between clenched teeth. Dropping her hand suddenly when he realized how abrasive that was. 

“It’s fine. I got a little roughed up, but Ka - _ cough _ \- wakami-Sensei and Boss were there and helped” She coughed a few times afterward. “Nothing too bad happened, promise!”

“You better be right about that,” Ryuji muttered, mostly to himself. He looked Akira right in the eyes. “So, I was thinking. I bet that you’re gonna want to do something about Kamoshida right away right?”

Akira nodded. “We need to take him down, yesterday. Also - _ cough _ -, I want to beat the shit out of some shadows.”

“That’s what I was hoping for! I know I need to beat some shit up to get this stress out myself!” Ryuji slapped his hand against his flexed arm in excitement. 

“So, cat.”

“Morgana.”

“Sure. Anyways, so what we gotta do to bring him down?”

“Well….”

“ _ What the hell IS that thing? Where am I?” _

The trio spun around in shock to see who had joined them only to see Ann slackjawed in front of them.

“Akira? Ryuji? What the hell is going on!”

The two in question looked at each other awkwardly. 

“Shit” Akira croaked, “I wanted to tell her, but maybe after I can -  _ cough _ \- talk.”

“Aight, if that’s what you want.” Ryuji shrugged and approached Ann.

“What’s going on!” Ann stomped her foot to accentuate the end of her sentence.

“So, this is going to be rough to explain. And, as you heard Kira over here… she’s not really up to talking about it. This shit's weird and I’m no good with words. But... “ he glanced back at Akira with a worried look, “she’s been through some stuff and she really needs some stress relief. And this creepy ass castle has some weird things that we can beat the shit out of with no, what was it, consequences. So, I promise, we’ll explain later, but it isn’s safe right now for you.”

“Isn’t safe? Isn’t safe! Then why the hell would it be safe for you? Or her? Look at those marks… oh my god, look at those marks. She needs a doctor! Not to beat shit up!” Ann was nearly in tears.

“No.” Akira rasped. “I really need to beat shit up.”

Ann looked at Akira quizzically. “What?”

“Just -  _ cough  _ \- trust me. I will explain tomorrow.”

“No, I cannot leave you alone! Not after today!”

Akira and Ryuji share another long look, Akira makes a pointed gesture with her head, Ryuji nods. 

“I didn’t want to have to do this… but we gotta keep you safe. We want to let loose without having to worry about your safety.” He approached her as he spoke, grabbing her arms and pushing her as kindly as he could out of the radius of the castle cognition. 

Watching her slowly be reabsorbed by the red bubble, Ryuji and Akira let out a slow sigh. 

“That didn’t exactly go as planned, but, hey, she’s safe!” He walked back up to the others. “You ready to kick some ass!”

Akira gave a strong nod in return and turned to enter the castle proper.

“Wait!” Morgana chimed in.

Akira turned her head quizzically. 

“I want us to have code names going in. We’re in someone’s cognition… That means everything we’re doing has an effect on the actual Kamoshida’s perception of the world. Like, I imagine he’s been a lot more on edge around you, Ryuji, because you openly challenged him in this world. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that you want to fight him.”

“Oh, that makes sense!” he hit his fist to his palm in understanding.

“Yeah. So, I don’t think it would be smart to be saying our real names all the time in here… he might subconsciously catch on to who we are.”

“Sub… what?”

“It means without thinking -  _ cough _ \- like, he’ll have a feeling that - _ cough _ \- we’re up to something because - _ cough _ \- we keep saying our names in his head.”

“Oh. Okay… shit! We can do that? No wonder he’s been on the two of us like crazy!”

Morgana solemnly nodded.

“Precisely like that. So, code names!” He paused to think for a moment, looking Akira up and down. 

“Hmmm. I like how you have the bright red coat… you’re a thief, but you do the opposite of expected and don’t even try to blend in. Plus, you seem like you’re up for and willing to do anything to succeed. I think you’re like our wild card. So… how about Joker?”

Akira gave a quick cough and massaged her throat, “Joker. That sounds great.”

“Joker it is then! Do me next, Monamona!”

“Morgana…. And how about Thug?”

“Excuse me? You rude ass little…” He started shaking his fist right in Morgana’s face.

“Why don’t you decide it then?” Akira swooped in, doing her best to prevent a fight from breaking out.

“Yeah, if you don’t like my suggestion, you do it then.” the humanoid cat stuck his nose in the air. 

“Well, fine then! I will!” He paused and looked around. “Shit…. Ummmm… how about… my mask! Yeah, my mask is kick ass! Call me Skull!”

“That’s - _ snrk  _ \- perfect.” the cat sniggered into his paw. 

Ryuji started to ball up his fist to see what was so funny when Akira butted in. 

“Skull it is then. That’s pretty -  _ cough _ \- kickass.”

“Hell yeah it is!” he punched his fist up in the air. 

Morgana looked side to side at the two humans expectantly. 

“Hmmm?” Akira intoned towards him. 

“Well… what do you think  _ my  _ codename should be? I mean… I know that I don’t have to hide my identity as much… but, you know, to fit in?”

Akira’s eyes crinkled from how adorable Morgana was. She turned to Ryuji and shrugged her shoulders. “You should do it. - _ cough _ \- You’re the one who - _ cough _ \- always botches his name - _ cough _ \- anyways. You come - _ cough _ \- up with a nick - _ cough _ \- name you’ll remember.” She took a deep breath and started methodically massaging her neck once more. 

Ryuji pulled out a Gatorade from his pocket and handed it to her.

“I was going to save this for later, but I think you can’t wait any longer.”

She nodded her head in thanks and started to slowly sip the drink. 

“So, hmmmm. A code name that I won’t mess up…. Let’s see. Oh! I got it! What about Mona!”

“Hmmmm. Mona? I like it!” He swished his tail in delight. “We now have a name for our rogue band of phantom thieves, stealing the hearts of the bad and giving hope to the rich!”

“I like the sound of that!” Ryuji fistpumped in excitement.

“Yeah. Let’s steal from this dick - _ cough _ \- and give it back - _ cough _ \- to the people he hurt.” Akira vowed.

Nodding at one another, the three of them headed inside the castle, itching to start to finally do some damage  _ back  _ to the man who had hurt them. 

\---

She never knew just how important her gymnastics and urban dance classes were going to help her in life. 

She would have been a lot more insistent to continue them after starting high school if she had known. But, hey, she still had enough muscle memory now to flip over this imposing shadow,  _ rip its fucking face off,  _ and then flip away to safety. So… she was always going to be grateful to that. And the dance? Being able to sway out of the way and keep on her toes in all movements was a long learned skill, to put it lightly. 

After directing Ryuji, no, Skull to take advantage of the thunder weakness in the Pixie in front of them, she was prepared to go in for the All Out Attack when Morg-MONA stopped her. 

“I got an idea! You see, these shadows aren’t just mindless drones of evil, we can barter with them…. Now that this one is down, we can demand money from it in exchange for its life!”

She was confused for a second until it fully hit her,  _ she could make a lot of money from beating the shit out of Kamoshida’s subconscious. _

“Hell yeah.”

Mona took the lead in trying to convince the Pixie to give up some cold, hard cash. And, failed? The Pixie forgot its wallet? As Joker was trying to wrap her head around the 20 different confusing statements she had just heard, the Pixie made eye contact with her. 

“Oh, I know what I can do! You reminded me of who I truly am! I am thou, thou art I!” And with that, she turned into a beam of light and flew towards Joker. She held her hands up to protect her face and instead felt her mask heating up. 

_ What… the hell? _

**_Hehe! I’m glad I got one last prank in before I joined you!_ **

_ Joined? Me? _

**_Yep! I’m in your psyche now. It’s great!_ **

**I had just gotten things tidy in here, and now I get to deal with more random personas coming to and fro? What have things come to!**

_ Adler… what’s going on? _

**You can have multiple personas. The pointy nosed one can explain the implications better. But, you can convince most of the Shadows that you meet to join you in battle, enabling you to use their abilities. You are truly a wild card.**

_ That’s…. Dope. Thanks, Adler. _

**Yes. Dope. Perfect verbage.**

Mona and Skull were looking at Joker with stunned expressions. 

“Did you just… absorb that?”

“Yeah. Apparently, I can do that?”

“That’s  _ sick! _ ” Skull was jumping up and down, ready for the next fight. 

He didn’t have too long to wait until they ran into another enemy. Joker flew through the air, ripping the mask off of the Shadow Knight, getting a pot shot at the still-forming enemies as she leapt back towards her teammates.

“Are you gonna do that every time?”

She shrugged her shoulders to say,  _ why not _ . And then spun into action, ready to call forth Adler until a little voice stopped her.

**_Call me instead!_ **

Shrugging once more, she instead focused internally on Pixie. With a burst of light, Pixie stood in front of her instead of Adler and blasted the enemy with a Zio spell, knocking the Kelpie down. Feeling that this enemy wasn’t willing to be pacified by her just yet, she chose to end him with an All Out Attack. 

She couldn’t help but smirk and adjust her gloves while watching the wisps fly off of the defeated foes. 

“You can  _ use _ multiple personas!?! What!” Mona was stunned. “I knew there was something special about you. Joker really is the perfect name!”

Joker couldn’t help but soak in the praise. She did feel pretty dang cool right now.

“You ready for more?” She whispered as to not further aggravate her throat.

“Let’s go!” Skull finished up his post-fight limbering up and was bouncing on the balls of his feet to get moving again.

Taking the lead once more, Joker allowed her coat to billow behind her as she dove into the shadows, preparing to leap on another enemy. 

\---

Watching world slowly dissolve back to reality was a really freaking weird experience. 

Also, what the hell were Ryuji and Akira wearing? And what was that cat monster that was with them? What the hell was going on?

As Ann stood in that alleyway in shock, some random memories from the past week slowly made their way to the front of her mind. 

Akira had tried to tell her about something, “some crazy ass shit happened,” that something was hard to explain just then. Was this what she was talking about?

I mean, crazy freaking alternate reality with demon cats and magic outfits and a red filter over everything would be considered all of those things. 

And, she was in there, right after fighting with Kamoshida….

Ann needed to help her. 

Akira needed her help. And Ann needed to be there for whatever the hell they were doing to Kamoshida. She was just as much a part of this as they were. If anything, she needed it more.

Ryuji said that whatever was going on was going to be dangerous… so maybe she should run and grab her pepper spray from her locker first… and might as well get her charger that she came here for. 

After the quick run in and out of Shujin, dodging the pitying stares from the straggling students, Ann slid into the alleyway that she was originally transported from. 

_ How did they do this? What did they do before that weird shit happened? Think, Ann, think! _

She crouched against the wall for a few moments, trying to remember every little detail about the sudden transportation. 

Akira sprinting towards them, Ryuji was ready. 

Ryuji said something to his…. PHONE.

“His phone!”

She scrambled to pull her phone out of her hoodie pocket, swiping it open and trying to rack her brain for any keywords for a dimension-hopping app when she noticed a new app on her home screen. 

A red, pulsing eye. 

_ What? _ She looked at it with a furrowed brow. She gave a tentative press to the icon, amazed when she saw it look like a weird GPS system. She swiped through the menus questioningly until she found the “Previous Trips” page.

**_Suguro Kamoshida, Pervert Castle, Shujin Academy_ **

**_Return to Destination?_ **

**_Yes? No?_ **

She looked around to her left and right to make sure that no else was around, didn’t want to drag anyone in like she had been, and then pressed the ‘Yes’ button.

Within a moment, the world once again went red and she found herself in front of the looming castle.  _ Kamoshida’s Pervert Castle? Hmmmm. That sounds about right… _

WIth a steeling breath, Ann stepped forward to the castle doors and pulled them open, entering via the front door into the foyer. 

After entering, she was in frozen disgust at the massive portrait of Kamoshida hanging above the stairs. She didn’t even notice the knights approaching with darkness wisping off of them until she was nearly surrounded. 

“Princess Ann!” The one to her left shouted, stunning her. 

“Excuse you?” She spun to face him. 

“Princess Ann! Why are you out of your rooms?” the one to her right.

“You know that he’s been wanting you to stay within eyesight after you went missing recently!” the one behind her chimed in. 

“I bet he has… hasn’t he? Well, I don’t want to see him!”

“I’m sorry?” Left.

“Princess Ann, whatever do you mean?” Right.

“You must be mistaken!” Center.

“We must take you with us!” Behind.

“No! I don’t want to go with you, I want to find my friends and not be near him!” She stomps her feet, frustration rising.

The guards share uneasy glances. 

“Princess… we don’t know what’s happened to you. But, we know the King can help.” Right.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come with us.” Center

“You’re very confused, and we need to help you get better.” Behind.

“Apologies in advance.” Left.

And then they converged. She didn’t even have a chance to grab her pepper spray.

\---

“You know, I wasn’t expecting us to finish in one day, but I was hopeful we’d make a level of progress.” Mona lamented as they relaxed in the Safe Room.

“Well, you said that we could navigate between Safe Room with ease, right?” Joker asked, sipping on her coffee that was thankfully still hot  _ (Thank you cognition of it still being hot) _ , and therefore soothing to her throat. 

“Yeah! Safe Rooms are places where the Palace Ruler’s control is weak. Which means that they run under  _ our _ cognition. So… we can have them all be connected to each other if we wish, as we control the state of them.” Mona casually checked the sharpness of his claws while answering.

“I don’t really get the reasoning behind it, but if it means we can transport here from the front, that sounds like we made progress to me!” Skull chimed in, trying to stay the positive one despite his growing exhaustion. 

Joker turned to him and nodded, “Seems about right. So, Mona, if we imagine that hole we crawled in to enter the castle actually was connected to this room, that would work?”

Mona thought for a moment, moving his head back and forth, “I think so. That should work. Because that entrance is entirely under our control, heck, we made it… and this room is also ours…” He ended up nodding after a moment of silence following his answer.

Joker looked around the room. “So, let’s test that idea now. Let’s try and figure out how to connect this room to the entrance so we can get out of here and return after we get some rest. Does that sound good to everyone?” 

Skull gave a quick nod. Mona thought about it for a moment. “Hey, I saw a treasure chest right around the corner from this room, but I thought I would grab it after we rested here. I didn’t realize how tired the two of you really were… Do you mind if I sprint and grab it real quick?”

“Be careful. Neither Skull or I are really able to take on anyone who is crazy strong right now. So no unnecessary risks. Got it?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Mona gave a quick salute and headed to the door. 

He started to crack open the door to peek and see if there were any enemies in the immediate area when a shriek was heard resonating down the hallway.

“GET OFF OF ME, YOU CREEP! I TOLD YOU TO LET ME GO!” 

Skull and Joker gasped. “Ann!”

Mona closed the door and spun towards them, “What?”

“Our friend, Ann. She must have found her way back here and got caught!” Joker was wide-eyed. 

Ryuji blanched, “I bet they’re bringing her right to Kamoshida.”

“We can’t leave her here!”

“But, you two are exhausted… what do you think you’re going to be able to do?” Mona was unable to stay still from worry. 

“I don’t really know. I feel a bit more energized after drinking that coffee, not just because my voice feels better for the moment. And, honestly, it doesn’t matter. She’s in danger. Both Skull and I have promised to protect her from Kamoshida, and she’s falling into his hand.”

“I guess we have no choice, huh?” Mona’s head was hung.

“Nope! Gotta help her out!” Skull stepped forward, rolling his neck.

“Well team, we have our mission. Let’s go!” Joker opened the door and rolled into the shadows, returning the way they came, following the screaming. 

They avoided all of the guards along their way, choosing to conserve their strength for the inevitable fight ahead. There were a few close calls, as Joker knew that she didn’t have the time to wait patiently for the perfect opening each and every time. But, she seemed to be lucky so far. 

They made their way to a previously explored hallway that had a blocked off corridor, only to see it now wide open, with the yells coming from within. 

“Oh goody, he was in the creepy locked hallway that we passed. That’s comforting.” Skull whispered under his breath. 

Joker nudged Skull to be quiet, and then rolled into some shadow she found along the new corridor. Using it as cover, she led the group toward the door looming before them. She checked that everyone was ready once they arrived, and then cracked the door just enough for them to enter, slipping inside and finding new shadows to hid in within. 

After the entered and felt hidden, they gave themselves a moment to actually take in their new surroundings. 

In the focal point of the room stood the Shadow Kamoshida and Shadow Ann, as well as the real Ann… tied up to a cross and struggling to break free. 

\---

“How DARE you treat me like this! How DARE you parade around that PALTRY imitation of me? When my FRIENDS get here… YOU’LL PAY!”

“Oh, my sweet, sweet Princess, I’m sure I will. If they ever show up? I mean, after the scare I gave them today in the real world, I doubt that they’ll ever show their face again.” He started pacing in front of her. “And are you really sure that you’re able to do  _ anything _ to me? I mean, you did so much before today? That’s why your friend, Suzui, that’s why she’s doing so well, right?”

“DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER!”

“Oh. Are you mad? Is that a sore spot?”

“I think, she’s like, jealous of the fact that you chose that other girl yesterday instead of her. I know I am” The scantily clad fake Ann chimed in with a grating Valley Girl accent. 

Ann stared at the fake her, speechless.  _ That is what he thinks of me, isn’t it? _

“Was she right? She’s always right. She wouldn’t have abandoned me for that whore.” Kamoshida wrapped his arms around the fake Ann with a pointed look at Ann.

“Yep! And then I’d still have my friend, Shiho.” the fake Ann spun side to side, completely carefree.

_ I would still have Shiho if I didn’t run away yesterday. Akira wouldn’t have been hurt trying to protect me today.  _

Ann started to stop fighting. 

“Oh, you want to listen now? That won’t bring back how you nearly killed your friend. And how your other stupid friends are all going to be expelled if not arrested for getting mad on your behalf or some stupid trivial garbage. I bet they’re running away from you now.” Kamoshida waved a hand nonchalantly in the air. 

_ They’re going to be… expelled? Arrested? This is my fault.  _

Ann crumpled down as much as she could under the supports she was attached too. 

Kamoshida started to take a step forward towards Ann. 

“Ann! No! We’re okay! We’re here for you!” Akira rolled out into the light and ran towards Ann with her arm outstretched.

Ann’s head shot up confused. 

“Yeah, you think that he got me to roll over now? After everything else he did to me?” Ryuji followed Akira’s lead and approached. 

The cat thing followed them from behind as Akira continued to speak to Ann, “Don’t you listen to a damn thing he said. It’s like I told you, he made that decision completely separate from you. Suzui is alive. You were there for her. Now you have to end him, so we can all feel safe again!” Akira reached out her hand to Ann, hoping that it would cause her to have hope again.

“You fools! What do you think your words are going to do? Make her stronger? Make her friend any less in the hospital? Make anything that happened go away? It was all her fault and she needs to know it!” He stomped his foot and made a grand gesture with his hand. 

Suddenly, a giant monster appeared out of nowhere. It was a... purple man on a toilet? _ What the heck? _

Ann looked at her friends who were across the room. Trying to cheer her up, trying to get her free, trying to fight Kamoshida for her. They looked so exhausted. She watched Akira cast  _ magic? _ Which seemed to cause some damage, but Akira was too tired to dodge the return attack, and it sent her flying. 

And then it happened again, but with Ryuji this time. The cat creature was trying to keep Akira and Ryuji on their feet, but it was also seeming overwhelmed.

Things looked really dim…

**_They are fighting for you, you know that?_ **

_ What? _

**_They are fighting for you. They want you to be safe._ **

_ But, what can they do? _

**_They must have a way to defeat this wretch of a man who dares hold you hostage._ **

_ When hasn’t he held me hostage? _

**_So, are you telling me that you’re just going to take it? You’re just going to sit here and watch your friends be destroyed? Just going to sit back and suffer and hope someone else takes care of Kamoshida?_ **

_ No! _

**_Oh really? Cause it looks like it to me. You know, when you first entered this realm, you said that you knew Akira needed your help, and that you needed to be the one to take him down… It looks like you are backing away from that resolve._ **

_ No! I will take him down! I just… don’t know how. _

**_I have an answer for you._ **

_ Please, tell me.  _

**_Make a vow with me. Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength._ **

_ Yes, Carmen.  _

**_I am thou, thou art I. Together we will burn those who impede upon our freedom!_ **

_ You’re right. _

“No more holding back! Dance, Carmen, Dance!”

With a flurry of flames, Ann burned right through all of her restraints. Suddenly dressed in a red leather catsuit with hot pink gloves, Ann leapt to action. 

She grabbed the sword off of the Left guard, the one who first grabbed her in the entrance way, and used it to slice through him and all of his companions. Still hefting the sword over her shoulder, she used her momentum to leap into the air and slice her imitation in half, grinning a maniacal grin as she watched the facsimile of her dissipate into the air. 

After those were taken care of, she turned the sword towards Kamoshida, who was slowly backing away from her, terrified of her newfound determination. She took another step forward until she heard Akira gasp in pain.

_ The fight! _

She was so enamored in her newfound energy that she forgot about her friends! She spun around and dove into their battle, twisting in the air and summoning Carmen, tossing Agi at the brute they were fighting. 

At the touch of her fire magic, the creature fell, and she pulled out a whip that was attached to her side. With grace she didn’t truly realize she had, she was able to wrap the whip around the creature, keeping it stuck in place until her friends were able to get themselves up. They looked at one another and leapt into the air, creating a whole new version of an All Out Attack.

The monster, unable to fight back due to the restraints, eroded back to dust after the pummeling. 

The whole part let out a sigh of relief at the sight. But Ann quickly jerked back into red alert mode, ready to whip some repentance into Kamoshida. But, he was nowhere to be seen.

_ That fucker ran away the moment he had a chance. Coward. _

She rolled her eyes and turned around to see Akira and Ryuji down and out, barely able to support themselves. 

“We gotta get them out of here!” Ann called out to that cat thing. 

“Yeah! There a Safe Room just around the corner! Help me get them there. We can get out safely if we can just get there!”

\---

It took some finagling and some insane amounts of patience, but Ann and Mona were able to get the two to the Safe Room, and then Mona was able to open up an entrance way that would lead to the front of the castle. 

“How… did this work?” Ann couldn’t help but be frazzled.

“Well, that will take a while to explain, and I kinda really think they need to get home first.”

“Will I see you again?” The weird cat thing was less weird. And it was really helpful, she hoped she’d be able to see it again. Especially since it seemed to be friends with Akira and Ryuji.

“If you choose to help take down Kamoshida with us, then yeah. I’m working with them to steal his selfish desires.”

“I’m not going to ask more questions. My brain already hurts after today.”

“I would imagine. You had all that happen today, and then you also got your persona. It only makes sense.” the cat was trying to be nice, she knew it. But she was too tired to care. 

“So, how do we get out of here?”

“Remember when you got shoved out by him? You just gotta get to the edge of the cognition.”

“Alright, help me out with them.”

“One second, I want to do something real quick.”

The cat turned back to Akira and Ryuji, who were starting to come to, and then cast Dia on them. They both started moving on their own.

“And  _ why  _ didn’t you do that  _ sooner? _ ” Ann stomped in frustration.

“I.. uh… knew I only had that much left in me, so I wanted to save it just in case something bad happened.”

Ann narrowed her eyes at him. She continued glaring until she heard a noise come from Akira. 

“Ann? You got a persona?” She started looking around. “How did we get back to the entrance?”

“Ann and I brought you and Skull! We’re all out safe!” Mona was bouncing again in joy.

“Well, that’s something at least.” Ryuji rubbed his eyes and yawned as he sat himself up. 

“So, uh, before we leave, I wanted to ask you something, Joker.”

“Joker? Skull?”

“Don’t worry about it, Ann, we’ll explain it after we get some sleep.”

“You freaking better.” Ann pointed a finger in Ryuji’s face. He pushed it out of his face with a laugh.

“Your question, Mona?” Akira gave a sleepy smile to the cat.

“So… I would like to say we’re a team now. And so we gotta know when to meet up. And, as we know… my other world form is a…” he looks side to side sadly, “cat.” He sighs. “So, I was wondering if there was any way I could stay with you on the other side so I can stay in the loop without a problem? Because, unlike what Skull thinks, I cannot have a phone.” the cat, Mona(?) looked super awkward as he looked back at Akira. Ryuji, meanwhile, is muttering in the background about stupid cats being smart with him.

“Well, you fit into my bag pretty well. So, let me bring you home and we’ll see how Boss reacts. If he’s against it, we’ll figure something out. But, you saved us more than once in this past week. So, I feel like I should at least ask. Act like I need you for emotional support or something.”

“Yeah! Boss seems to really care about how you’re feeling! I bet he’d be game!”

“Really? That’d be really awesome. Thanks a lot, Joker!” He was grinning ear to ear. 

“Now that that’s taken care of, can we leave? I think we all need to sleep for a week straight.”

“A-freaking-men!” Ryuji hoisted himself up and then held his hand out to Akira, helping her up as well. “Time to blow this popsicle joint!”

With all of them upright once more, they exited the Metaverse, happy to be in a less monochromatic environment once more. 

\---

After all that happened at Shujin today, and sharing a cup of coffee with Sadayo, Sojiro was ready to call it a day. 

The shop had been closed the whole time, everything was ready for him to just walk to his house and pass out. 

But he had to wait and see Akira come back home. He had to make sure that she got home safe. He was glad that Sadayo had thought to have her friend wait for her and the two of them run off and be friends and not be in any obvious locations for a while…. But he wanted to know where she was now. 

He had gotten a lot of joy out of kicking the crap out of that bastard, especially seeing the state that Akira had been in, as well as extortioning the man once he had come to into staying the hell away from his ward and her friends. At least until the School Meeting on May 2nd…. But that was a few weeks to get enough of a case together to make it so that he couldn’t do anything to them until they finished seeing the case through. Even if he wasn’t arrested immediately, they would make sure they couldn’t be alone or that he couldn’t have any authority over them in any way until they knew either way and punished a party. So… that would mean that Akira couldn’t be expelled or arrested due to that coach’s accusations. 

But… since the school administration was obviously compliant….

Man, this was going to be a lot more of a headache than he had anticipated. This whole situation was more than he had anticipated when he agreed to take on the girl, and she had only been here for a week. 

What kind of luck…

_ If only that bastard would just confess to his crimes, then I wouldn’t have to jump through all of these damn hoops! _

Sojiro continued his musing for a little bit longer until the bell to the door finally went rang heralding the Akira’s return. 

She shuffled in slowly, looking slightly guilty about… something… he just couldn’t figure out what. 

_ She mentioned yesterday that she felt that Suzui was in danger because of her actions, that’s probably what it is. Also, I doubt she was expecting me to show up at school and beat the stuffing out of her gym teacher.  _

“So, uh, kid… rough day today?”

Akira looked at him wearily with a single eyebrow cocked up in disbelief. 

“How else do you expect me to start the conversation?” He sighed. “Is this better? Did you know that after you left your teacher and I beat the daylights out of that bastard for touching you?”

Her weary face twisted into a smile as she burst out laughing. She held her sides as hoarse, choppy laughter came from her entire being. As the laughter turned to coughing, Akira looked up and nodded with tears in her eyes. 

“Yes. _\- cough -_ That would be _exa - cough -_ _ctly_ how I want you to _\- cough -_ start this conversation.” She managed to get out through her hacking cough. 

In his joy at her finally getting back safe, he had forgotten about how injured her neck has to be. Looking at it now, he couldn’t help but grimace. There were handmarks all around her neck, and they were all very visibly bruising. 

“You’re staying home tomorrow. I have a doctor who I know I can trust who is local, and they’re going to look at your neck. I think they also have some fast acting bruise cream, well, I hope that they do, because you can’t go out looking like that.”

Akira awkwardly patted her neck with a frown. She pulled out her phone and used the camera to check out her neck. The widening of her eyes told Sojiro that she had no idea how bad it had gotten. 

“Also, here’s some tea. Decaf, so you can actually get some sleep tonight. And I put extra honey in it, as to help soothe your throat.”

The cup didn’t touch the counter for more than 5 seconds before Akira had picked it up, sniffing the blend and letting out a content sigh. 

“As amazing as coffee is, I know that sometimes a cup of tea is all that you need to feel better.”

Sojiro looked around the cafe awkwardly. 

“So, uh, I can see that you’re looking down. I mean, after the day that you had, I don’t blame you… but… uh…” Sojiro put the palm of his hand to his forehead. “I’m bad at this stuff… but if you need to talk about something, I can help you out. I may not always respond well, but I’ll always be up to listen.”

Akira scuffed the ground with her foot and then took a sip of the tea. “So, I ran into my friends Ryuji and Ann, though I think you knew about at least Ryuji from Kawakami-Sensei. And, well, they were worried about how I was doing and stuff. So… they, well mostly Ann because she has money…”

“What did they buy you? I’m sure it was a nice gesture.”

“They bought me a cat. To be like my support animal. I told them I wasn’t sure if you’d accept him, but like, they told me to try. And if you said no then we’d return him.” She was rushing to spit that all out before he could interrupt.

“They bought you a cat? You live in a cafe!”

“I know… that was my point… but they felt it would make me feel better. Especially since this one seemed super smart and super attached to me. You see, I wanted to go hug some pets because I felt sad and stuff. And then…”

“And then this one connected with you.”

“Yeah.” She at least knew to feel ashamed about that.

“Well, let me see the little blighter, and see if he is as smart and friendly as you say.” He couldn’t believe that he was considering this. 

She looked back at him, and then to her bag.  _ Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. _ She unzipped the bag all the way and a little cat head popped out. 

“This is Morgana, or Mona for short.”

A tuxedo cat slowly extricated himself from the bag and stretched out on a stool. The critter looked up at Sojiro with its perfectly blue eyes and mewled. 

_ Mewled. It just mewled. He's perfect. _

He stared for a moment, enamored by the cuteness of the animal that Akira had just brought home, until it hit him.

_ Oh shit. I own a cat now. _

A beat.

_ I would have named him Prince though. _

He knew when to admit defeat. And this little cat nuzzling against his hand while sitting like a proper gentleman was it. 

“Okay. You can keep him.”

She started cheering. 

“But! But! On a few conditions.”

“What are they?”

“You need to take care of him. I’ll get some cat food tomorrow, but any treats or extras and stuff is all you.”

“That makes sense.”

“I thought so. Next, he needs to be kept out of the cafe when it is open. I can’t have cat hair in my food or drinks I serve. So, either is upstairs or at my house or something.”

“He seems to like my bag, so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.” The cat meowed right afterward, almost as if in response. Akira giggled and scratched the cat’s ear. 

“Well, don’t get in trouble for him. Be smart, okay? And finally, if you don’t think it would cause any issues, introduce him to Futaba. It might help her out. Even if only as something living to interact with.”

There was a soft smile as an answer to that. “I think that would be amazing for her. Morgana would love to help her out.” 

Once again, the cat seemed to know what was going, as it looked at her and cocked his head to the side questioningly.

_ That is a smart cat _ . 

“As you said earlier, Boss, today was a crazy long day, and I’m exhausted. I know that I probably should talk about some things, but I can’t today. So, I’m going to go to bed. Tell me about that doctor in the morning. Night.”

“Night. I’m leaving now. Call if you need anything.”

She gave a lazy wave as she started up the stairs, cat slowly following her up, meowing the whole time. She seemed to be nodding along to him, but it was probably just something she was thinking about.

He smiled as he closed up the shop today. 

No matter how tiring the day was, he knows he did the right thing by her. And that was enough. 

_ Now to look up Takemi’s number. _

As he wandered back towards his house, he sent a text to Sadayo that Akira had gotten home safe and wasn’t going to be in class tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I got this chapter out! This one was a doozy. Did you realize that today held like every single horrible event in the game? Like, the rest of the bad events are off screen for the most, today is the day that they throw all the terrible shit in your face. This is like the most emotionally charged day of the entire freaking game. There are 4 giant scary events today: shiho, mishima, kamoshida, and ann!
> 
> So, this was a bit exhausting. But, I did it. And it’s over 40 pages long, but I did it!
> 
> Please let me know how you like it. Please give feedback. I was really nervous about the Shiho scene in particular, but I think I got it to be serious. So, please let me know how I did for that. 
> 
> The next few chapters shouldn’t be too long, as they are the days where you just get introduced to shopkeepers. So, those onces shouldn’t be as much of an undertaking as these are… should…
> 
> Also, I’m not sure if you read my other works, but I’ve started a series of ship fics. Right now, I only have my Yusuke/Haru up, but soon it will be a fic for each different pairing of Thieves. It’s a lighthearted thing that is fun to write when I’m not in a serious, dark writing mood (cough cough this chapter)
> 
> So, yeah! Thank you for your support. I wasn’t going to update for a little bit due to stress, but some great reviews actually inspired me to work on it asap instead of later, which is why it is out now!
> 
> Love you all! <3
> 
> P.S. when the POV changes, the names used reflect how the person being followed thinks of calling them. So, Ann calls Joker Akira, because she doesn't know code names yet. And Akira thinks Sojiro is Boss. But Sojiro calls himself Sojiro. Stuff like that, in case you were confused by the name changes. 
> 
> Also, I added all of the coughs by saying her lines in my most gravelly voice and seeing where I coughed.


	8. April 16, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira meets a doctor, Morgana eats some tuna, and Ann buys some sweets. And Ryuji almost hugs a teacher.

She woke up gasping.

Arms flailing, unable to breathe, constricted throat gasping.

The nightmare that combined all of yesterday’s events into one mega event was not her chosen way to follow up another creepy time junction with the jail twins, but she didn’t have much control over that.

She tried to take a deep breath to calm down, only to wince again from the severe pain in her throat.

_ Hmmm. I guess not all the constriction is from the nightmare. _ She mused while tentatively massaging her neck.

She couldn’t help but frown at the wheezing sound that accompanied each and every breath. 

“Man, yesterday really did a number on you.”

Akira froze, slowly turning towards the voice. Morgana was laying at the edge of her bed, tail swishing as he looked on anxiously. She smiled at seeing him, having forgotten his real world appearance in the haze. 

“You gotta get used to me being here, don’t you now? I ain’t going nowhere.” His voice was jovial, but his tail was flicking with an added boost of nerves.

She gave a nod back and then started to get up for the day. 

Uniform, hair, bag. 

Morgana gave a quick stretch before leaping off the bed. His tail making a soft question mark as he ambled to join her down the stairs. 

“So… what’s breakfast going to be? I hear humans usually have eggs and bacon and coffee and…”

“Ju--” She tried to reply, but the pain was too much. She instead just shook her head and gave a soft smile.  _ He’d see soon enough. _

He trotted down the stairs besides her, yammering away about all the different types of food he wanted to try while she tried her best to not look like she was stumbling. He got to the bottom to see Boss waiting at the end, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. 

“And where do you think you’re going today?”

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then pointed towards the door with one hand with gesturing to her uniform with the other.

“Did you forget about how injured you are? You’re staying home today. I’ve already told your teacher.”

She blinked a few times.

He sighed, “I had a feeling that you’d forget that fact in all the craziness of yesterday. So, you’re staying here today. Eating nothing but soup and tea. And Doctor Takemi from the clinic around the corner will be coming to see you this afternoon.”

She stayed still for a moment, processing everything and then nodded. Did an about face turn, and headed up the stairs once more. 

When she slumped back downstairs wearing lounge pants and a baggy shirt, Boss was waiting with a hot cup of lemon ginger tea with honey and a bowl of oatmeal. 

“You eat that at your own pace. I’ll clean up when you’re done. And, I’ll holler up when the doctor shows up so you aren’t surprised. Now… rest.”

She took a bite and couldn’t hold back a sigh from the warmth hitting her throat. Morgana was swept up into her side in the booth, halfway onto her lap and trying his best to be a good housecat in front of Boss. 

And it was working, as he looked on with a soft smirk.

“Man, your friend Ann is a good one. This cat seems perfect for you. I’m glad you have friends who pay attention and seem to have a good read on you already… don’t lose these friends. These are the type that you should want to keep for a lifetime.” 

Akira looked up and smiled, nodding seriously. 

“Yeah! I bet we’ll be stuck with you for life! That’s how daring heroes do things, right?” Morgana chirped in, sneaking a paw into the oatmeal to try it and purring at the cream and heat.

A small affirming giggle came out of Akira’s throat. Followed then by a quick gulp of tea to calm the agitated throat.

She kept eating her meal while listening to Morgana chatter on about how much he loved how warm the food was and the cafe was and how they were going to be best friends forever. Boss watched on, smiling, while filling up a thermos of tea. 

“Hey, do you know where my other thermos is?”

She gave a thumbs up and then pointed upstairs. 

“Okay, bring that down when you’re done? I have some tea for you but I’d like to have the other one. You can nap right after you bring it down.”

Another thumbs up as she funneled the last of the breakfast into her mouth.

“And you better feed your cat something besides oatmeal! Here’s a can of tuna from my cabinets. I’ll go grab some more food later, but this should do for now.”

She dropped the dishes in the sink and disappeared up the stairs for a moment before adding the thermos from yesterday’s adventure to the sink as well. 

“Thank you. Man, if only Futaba was as fast at getting things done…” he chuckled.

Akira turned around and snatched the new thermos and the opened can of tuna. Beckoning to Morgana, she made her way back up the stairs after a farewell nod to Boss. 

“Akiraaaaaaaaaaa. What’s tuna? That’s a type of fish right? It smells so good! Is it good? That’s for me right? Boss said that was for me right?” Morgana’s tail was flicking back and forth in excitement, yammering on and on the further up the stairs they got.

Akira couldn't help but smile in return. He may insist that he wasn’t a cat, but he sure acted the part of a cat mixed with a young child. And it was the cutest combination she had every been able to witness. 

Once at the top of the stairs, she made her way to the cleaned off desk in the corner near the bed and placed the can on top of it.

Opening up her math notebook that was open from trying to do homework last night, she wrote a quick, “ _ Careful, the edge can be sharp due to being cut open. But enjoy. _ ” 

Morgana glanced at the note and seemed to take care to eat from the middle of the can, but made no other notice of her. She watched him to see see if he would tell her his opinion of the tuna, but her only response was purring. 

**Akira: He liked the tuna.**

**Boss: Good to know. I have more if you need it in the cabinet above the stove.**

Putting her phone down, grabbed her Sherlock Holmes book and curled back into bed, completely ready to read until she fell back asleep.

Until her phone started buzzing like crazy.

**Ryu: Where are you?**

**Ryu: I didn’t see you at the station today and we always ride in together?**

**Ann: yeah, you’re not in class!**

**Kira: Yeah… Boss forced me to stay home.**

**Ryu: you okay?**

**Ann: what’s wrong?**

**Kira: I can’t really talk.**

**Kira: literally**

**Kira: my throat hurts so much**

**Kira: so boss told kawakami was i was too injured**

**Kira: and i get to see a doctor today**

**Ryu: I’m gonna kill him**

**Ann: jesus christ**

**Kira: I FORGOT TO TELLYOU THE BEST PART**

**Ryu:???**

**Ann: ???**

**Kira: BOSS AND KAWAKAMI BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF KAMOSHIDA**

**Ryu: WHAT**

**Ann: I LOVE THEM**

**Ann: I’m giving kawakami a hug at lunch**

**Ryu: the world is a better place**

**Ryu: the sun is shining**

**Ryu: the bird are singing**

**Ryu: kamoshida got the shit beaten out of him by a barista and a short teacher**

**Ann: I just heard a vball member say that the shitbag is absent from school today**

**Ann: Mishima looks the calmest he has in months**

**Ryu: HAH**

**Ryu: WON’T SHOW YOUR FACE WHEN YOU HAVE KAWAKMIS FOOTPRINT STUCK TO YOUR FOREHEAD.**

**Ryu: Also, that’s great. I’m glad that he’s doing well.**

**Kira: Boss had fun telling me about it.**

**Kira: He apparently extortioned him as well to make sure that he can’t do anything to us before the deadline of May2nd.**

**Ann: Deadline? May 2nd?**

**Kira: Kamoshida wants to expell us all at the next board meeting. May 2nd.**

**Kira: So that’s our deadline to fuck Kamoshida’s steeze.**

**Ryu: I’m still stuck on extortion???**

**Kira: he blackmailed him.**

**Ryu: For real?**

**Ryu: your guardian’s the best**

**Ann: seconded!**

**Kira: that gives us breathing rooom to steal Kamoshida’s heart**

**Ann: Okay, I need an explanation.**

**Kira: it’s one… better given in person.**

**Kira: I’ll explain it next time we’re in person.**

**Kira: as it is kinda confusing and involves us going back to that nightmare realm.**

**Ryu: seconded… it IS confusing.**

**Ann: I’m HOLDING you to that. I’m tired of being in the dark here!**

**Ryu: Also, hows the cat?**

**Kira: Doing great. He is the cutest thing in the world. Imagine if a newborn kitten could talk?**

**Ann: !!!**

**Kira: exactly. Everything is new and exciting and he has so many questions.**

**Ryu: that actually… sounds kinda cute. Especailly since he looks like a cat and not his mutant self**

**Kira: *sent a picture***

**Ann: Holy**

**Ryu: shit**

**Ann: he fell asleep wrapped around a can of tuna**

**Ryu: with his face still in it?**

**Ann: I love him**

**Ryu: we’re never going to have him lose his innocence**

**Kira: agreed.**

**Kira: he started acting catlike to sneak under boss’s radar**

**Kira: and then he just got stuck in catmode**

**Kira: it’s the best thing ever.**

**Ann: this is now my phone wallpaper.**

**Ryu: strong same.**

**Kira: hey Ann…**

**Ann: ?**

**Kira: grab notes for me? Or from mishima? Or kawakami?**

**Ann: only for you.**

**Kira: <3**

**Kira: now I’m gonna take a nap until the doctor shows up.**

**Ryu: you better freaking take care of yourself**

**Ann: he’s right! You deserve some rest!**

**Kira: on it! o7**

She plugged her phone in to charge some more while she took a nap and finally got to read a little bit more of her book until she nodded off.

Her last sight before she finally fell back asleep was Morgana snuggling closer to his can of half eaten tuna.

\---

Even if she didn’t fully understand what was going on, she was grateful to have a friend who had her back. 

The whispers had somehow find a way to grow even louder as she walked through Shujin. But, well, she couldn’t find a way to be surprised about it. Not only did her best friend jump off the roof, her friendship with the two other outcasts was confirmed, as was her situation with Kamoshida. And then there was a giant fight that had to do with Kamoshida….

The public consensus was stuck between whether she was going to cut off her new friends for trying to get between her and Kamoshida or whether she was going to side with them and cut out Kamoshida. 

While the second party was correct, they were wrong to assume that Ann was doing this because of a “lover’s quarrel” and instead because he “raped her best friend as well as herself.”

You know, small things.

So, when she slumped back into her seat after grabbing a soda from a machine during lunch, and an arm slung its way around her shoulder, she couldn’t help but jump.

“Hey, Ann. You okay?”

She calmed down the moment she realized that it was Ryuji who had grabbed Akira’s usual chair and had slung it next to Ann’s desk while she had been out.

“Kawakami let you in? She tries to block people from coming in here for lunch.”

“Yep! And let me give her a high five for her work yesterday under the promise that I tell nobody!”

“You  _ just _ told someone!” the irate teacher’s voice rang out from the front of the room.

“Shit!” He ducked his head.

“You dummy.” Ann smiled, “I’m glad to know that you never change.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He fake outraged, a smile plastered on his face.

“I’m just glad that something that Kamoshida touched wasn’t destroyed.”

Taken aback at the much more serious answer than he was expecting, he took a second to look down and blush while furiously opening his lunch.

“Well, yeah, it’ll take more than that bastard to change me! If I survived my dad, you know I definitely can survive that asshole!” he said with false bravado, trying to not make eye contact and ignore his still blushing cheeks.

“That’s right, Ryuji. You’re a strong one. I’m glad Akira and I have you to lean on when we get overwhelmed. You’re great, you know that?” she gave a soft and sincere smile.

“Stop with that! I’m not that great. I just have zero bullshit patience.” he rubbed his nose embarrassed.

“And that’s what makes you the Ryuji I’m friends with.” Ann chimed back while flicking him in the forehead.

“Hey!” he rubbed his forehead, but was still unable to keep his smile off of his face. “I hope Kira’s okay…”

“You know she is! She is gonna see a doctor and get all fixed up. If anything, I’m glad she doens’t have to be in school after everything yesterday. I’d  _ hate _ to hear the gossip about her if she were hear.” she gave a quick shudder to accentuate her point.

“You’re right! Plus, she has Mona with her!”

“So… are  _ you _ going to explain what the hell happened yesterday?”

“Uh… maybe not here. It’s a little… weird… as you know.” he paused for a moment to think. “Wait! Why don’t we go to Kira’s after school! Give her the notes and catch up with her!”

“That… sounds great! Good idea, Ryuji!” she beamed.

“I have those sometimes too, you know.” he bashfully rubbed his finger under his nose.

Ann got up to toss away any garbage that she had, and made a point to tussle his hair as she came to sit back down.

“I know you do. I just wanted you to know that.” she paused for a moment. “Do you, uh, know where she lives?”

He froze for a moment, worried. “Uh… she comes from the Den-en-toshi train. And, she lives above a coffee shop.”

Ann was furiously typing on her phone to try and find a match.

“Leblanc.” came a coughed reply from the front of the room.

The two teen’s heads swiveled towards Kawakami.

“She lives above Leblanc. In Yongen-Jaya.”

“How do you…”

“I’m her point of contact and in connection with her guardian. And I’m only telling you because you’re bringing her homework, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ryuji shot up, ramrod straight, at the grit at the end of her sentence.

Ann smirked at Ryuji’s response and then bowed towards her teacher. “Thank you so much! I’ll bring her the notes after school so she doesn’t fall behind.”

“That’s more like it. I’m glad one of you knows how to play along.” she rubbed her temples. “Now, lunch is almost over, skedaddle.” she shooed Ryuji out of the room.

“Don’t tell Kira! Let’s make this a surprise!” he shouted at Ann as he ran out the door to go back to his own classroom.

Ann gave a thumbs up in response as he was leaving her vision, and then headed back to her own desk, staring wistfully out the window.

She was amazed at how integral of a part of her day Akira had become so quickly, but without her to chat to, the day was painfully slow. 

_ I wonder if her guardian can make a good peppermint mocha? _

Whipped cream glob shaped clouds rolled by as the afternoon bell rang.

\---

The bell to the shop rang as the door swung open. 

Doctor Tae Takemi’s heels clicked as she strode into the cafe and made her way over to the bar.

“You asked me to come here?” she placed her bag on the counter and folded her arms while looking at Sojiro with feigned apathy.

“Yeah. Give me a moment to clear out the cafe.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him as he slipped around the counter to ask the elderly couple if they wouldn’t mind leaving for him to deal with a family issue.

As they slowly got their stuff together and were ready to amble out, Sojiro popped back over some travel cups of coffee and handed them gingerly to the elder couple. Holding the door for them as they thanked him, he then swapped the closed sign over.

“Awesome. Thank you for coming over here.”

“What has you all secretive? You know I’m not into older men.”

Sojiro rolled his eyes, “No. I have an injured kid.”

She took a step back, surprised, “Where?”

He gestured up the stairs behind her. “My ward. It’s a long story that I might as well fill you in on. But first…” he walked over the the stairs.

“Hey! Akira! Wake up! The doctor’s here!” 

He paused for a moment to listen to for movement. Instead he heard a cat yowling and then slowly a thump onto the ground.

“Okay, she’s up. Now, let me explain.”

“Please do.” she sat at the bar and took the breve latte from Sojiro, with hazelnut added, just the way she likes.

“So, I took in a ward.”

“I gathered.”

Glare.

“Anyways, she was accused of soliciting herself and the attacking a man when he refused her. And, well, even I can tell that’s a bullshit charge. But, regardless, she was ordered to pack up and move here. So, I’m watching out for her.”

“Has she gone to therapy yet?”

“I haven’t seen anything about that in her documents.”

She takes out a pen and paper from her bag and starts scribbling notes.

“So, she starts at her new school in the city, Shujin Academy. And turns out the gym teacher is a pervert.”

Her eyes narrow. “What are we talking here…”

“Has actively raped at least 2 students, probably more. I’m making a case against him now. But the school is defending him because he’s an Olympian.”

Eye roll. “Of fucking course.”

“And he set his eyes on Akira because of her record.”

“Of  _ fucking course. _ ” her grip on her pen tightens with her voice.

“She managed to escape, with help from me and a few others… but…”

“But?”

“She was still injured. Her neck is the worst of it.”

“Neck?!?”

“You’ll have to see it for yourself. But she’s having issues talking at all today and it looks hideous. Thankfully her homeroom teacher was also one of the people who helped her out yesterday, so I didn’t need to explain why she needs to stay home for a while.”

Takemi is back to scribbling notes down on her paper. She looks back up. “Okay, I’ve got some basic ideas of things. But, obviously, I’m gonna go up and do an exam. Do you want to be there for that?”

“I want to at least accompany you up. As to introduce and fill in where she can’t.”

“Anything else I should know before going up?”

“As you may have heard, there’s a cat upstairs. One of her friends, one of the victims of that man, bought her a, what was it, emotional service animal?”

“Hmmmm. That was very kind of her. I’ll add that to the therapy notes.”

She gathered up her things and started up the stairs. Heels clicking in time with each creaking board. As Sojiro trailed behind, he heard the cat, Morgana, chirp a friendly greeting to the doctor at the summit.

“Well behaved cat. Your friend chose well.” she looked over at the girl sitting on the bed. “Hi, I’m Dr. Tae Takemi. I know you can’t talk, so, please nod or shake your head or write something down if you need to.”

Takemi swept across the room, dropping her tools on the ground in front of Akira and after making eye contact to check for approval, gingerly put her hands to her neck.

The cat had swept himself up to Akira’s side and was purring just softly enough to be felt. He was looking right up at his new owner with almost sad eyes. And, did he wince each time that Akira took a sharp breath in? That was a very aware cat.

Putting aside her thoughts on the cat, she focused once more on her patient.

There was  _ a lot _ of swelling.

\---

That doctor lady was a miracle worker. 

After some gentle poking and prodding and calm explanations, Dr. Takemi had rushed downstairs and out the door for a few minutes and returned from her clinic with multiple containers of medicine. After giving a quick explaination of each, she rushed back downstairs with Boss in tow and they talked for a bit longer about things.

But whatever they were talking about wasn’t important. Akira was tired, and just wanted to slather this bruise and swelling ointment all over her neck.  _ It smells like mint. _

The feeling was instantaneous. By the time she was done rubbing it into her neck, she already felt less pain.

Wide eyed at the efficiency of the ointment, she picked up the other bottle left behind, excited to see how well this would work.  _ She had said that she made this medicine herself. _

She took a testing swallow to see if this pill was even possible, amazed to see that it already wasn’t agonizing to do so anymore. And so, with the assistance of some tea, she managed to try the second medicine that the doctor had left her. And it worked, wonders.

After just a minute, her whole throat went numb. No pain. 

_ She is a miracle worker. _

Morgana was laying on the bed, hiding his body under her pillow, with only his head sticking out. He was nervously watching and trying to gauge how well it worked. At her smile, he slowly squirmed his way out of his makeshift hiding place.

“So, uh, did it work? You feel any better?”

She turned to him, grin still perched upon her face.

“Yeah. It f-eels grea-t.” she managed to get out. Her voice was still wheezy, but it was there, and it didn’t hurt.

“Wow! That lady’s medicine is incredible! Hmmm…”

She cocked her head to the side, “Wh-at is it?”

“You know how that coffee super helped in the Palace? What if you took  _ her _ medicine there? I bet it would help like crazy!”

She blinked a few times in response, and then got a Cheshire grin. “You’re righ-t. That would be incr-edible.” She paused. “She did a-sk me to c-ome back for reg-ular check-ups. May-be I can see if I can get a reg-ular perscrip-tion to use in emer-gencies over there.”

Morgana’s tail shot straight up and was twitching back in forth while making a hook shape. “That would be purrrrfect!” He calmed down a little, “But I am happy that it is working and you’re able to talk again, I was worried.” He looked a little sheepish towards the end.

She placed her hand right in between his hears and gave a quick scratch. “I appre-ciate it. You’re a g-ood one.”

He beamed under the attention and praise.

She sat back down, hoping to get some more rest in, when there was noise downstairs. 

_ Is that, knocking? _

\---

Balancing all of these sweets was tough.

It didn’t help that Ryuji kept running ahead like the madman he is, forgetting that she couldn’t be as nimble due to all the freaking snacks.

Snacks that she was carrying,  _ all by herself _ .

Just because she had told him that she didn’t trust him with the snacks on his goddamned life didn’t mean that she didn’t have the right to complain about how he wasn’t helping her with everything. 

He threw back his head and had laughed when she had said as much to him,  _ which was rude _ , and then made a point to open every door for her with a flourished bow.  _ Dick. _

But, it made her laugh, which almost made her drop the sweets, and he was quick to help her balance them before they fell. So, maybe he wasn’t that big of a dick. 

Both because of and in spite of Ryuji’s help, they were able to get to Yongen-Jaya without too much hassle. She followed the runner who was staring intensely at his phone until the smell of coffee wafted over to them.

“Oh. That is  _ heavenly. _ ” Ann couldn’t help but sigh as the aroma reached her. 

“I, uh, guess?” Ryuji shrugged. “But hey, it means that we’re almost there! Let’s go!”

Before she could say anything, he jolted once more in another direction.

“RYUJI!” She was going to  _ murder _ that boy. 

“I’m getting the door for you, dumbass!” Was his response. 

And there he was, holding the door open to a quaint little cafe nestled in the corner.

_ I guess he isn’t that much of an idiot sometimes. _

She couldn’t help but smile as she passed through the opened door and entered the cafe. 

The cafe owner, she supposed, a tall, tired looking man was staring at the two of them.

“So, you’re the friends Akira mentioned to me before?”

“Yes?”

He pointed at Ann, “You’re Ann? And you’re Ryuji, right?” he then switched to pointing at the other teen.

“Glad to know that we’ve made it to ‘tell the folks!’” She chimed as a response.

“It’s the only reason I let you guys in. ‘My two friends are both tall blondes, it is weird feeling like I’m standing out by being the only one with black hair.’” he retorted, with a decent impression of Akira.

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. “Well, uh, thanks?”

“And, what’s this you have here, ma’am?” the kindly older man had started to grab some of the boxes out of Ann’s arms and was placing them on the counter.

“I, brought some snacks and sweets for Akira. I didn’t know what she liked, so I got her a variety to make sure her favorite was here.”

“You’re the one who had the money to buy her that ESA cat, aren’t you?”

Ann’s shoe scuffed the ground, “Guilty. Did I do something wrong?” she grimaced.

“Not at all. Wanted to thank you. That cat is brilliant. So well behaved.”

Her grimace changed instantaneously to a beaming grin. Ryuji was chuckling in the distance.

“Great!”

The owner’s face got serious. “So, I just wanted to thank to two of you for befriending her and being there for her in this, honestly, impossibly shitty first week in the city.”

“She’s been the best friend I’ve had in years.” Ryuji said with zero hesitation.

“She’s honestly done more for me than I’ve been able to do for her yet.” Ann added on after him.

“Even so. Thank you. Also, I want to warn you. She looks bad. She might not be able to talk much if at all. She wasn’t able to say a single thing all day until now. But, I’m sure she’ll appreciate y’all showing up.”

Ann’s eyes went wide. She had seen how injured she was yesterday, but she was still able to talk and that weird outfit she was wearing was honestly covering most of the damage. But, to know that she lost the ability to talk due to swelling? That was difficult to comprehend.

_ This is all my fault. _

She couldn’t help the sullen look that passed her face. But, she knew that Akira wouldn’t want to see her so downcast. So she instead switched gears and started focusing on the sweets again. 

“Do you think she’s a cake person? A cupcake person? Or just chocolate? I hope she likes crepes…”

This time, it was older man’s turn to go wide eyed. “How many different types did you get her?”

“It’s better to not ask, she always goes overboard. She is the definition of a sweet tooth.” Ryuji waved his hand in front of his face with an almost bored tone to his voice.

“Well, I’ll keep everything down here, why don’t you guys go up. It hasn’t been too long since the doctor left, so I imagine that she’s still awake.”

“Thanks!” Ryuji sprinted up the stairs.

“Yeah, thank you, sir!” Ann went to join him. 

“Just call me Boss!” Boss called up behind them.

\---

Turns out, Akira was a giant fan of strawberry crepes, but her favorite dessert was chocolate mousse.

The doctor that had come to see her was apparently a magic worker, as the horrific swelling on her throat had calmed down enough for her to talk. 

She guessed that it was more a whisper, but, same difference. 

Thankfully, the cat creature, Morgana, seemed to be the most knowledgeable about this Metaverse thing. And so he did most of the talking while the rest of them snacked on all of the sweets she had brought.

So apparently that weirdass castle was, like, how Kamoshida viewed the school. With himself as king.  _ Ew _ .

And that really cool thing she summoned, Carmen, was apparently called a Persona. And each of them had one, including Morgana. And it symbolized their rebellion.

She then took a moment to search for who Carmen was, and, honestly, it fit. 

She was a beautiful foreign woman in a land who was proud of her beauty, who was not just accepting that men lusted after her, but relished in it. After her pain of being sought after by Kamoshida and feeling bad for who she was, knowing her inner rebellion was a woman who was proud of the attention and had agency over whose attention she paid attention to… it was exhilarating. 

That was who she wanted to be. Proud of her beauty and attention, not ashamed anymore. Free to accept or ignore all and any advances. Use the attention she got for  _ her _ benefit instead of anyone else’s.

Each of their Personas fit each of them in the same way. It was kind of amazing how that worked. 

But apparently Akira could use multiple Personas? If she could convince the Shadows to switch sides, she could use them in battle? It was crazy to think about. And she had to wonder just how  _ full _ her mind had to feel with all of those figures within.

But after that tangent with the Personas and meanings and such, she finally got a chance to ask about the codenames. 

Since they were kinda, sorta, technically in Kamoshida’s mindscape, things that they did there caused a subconscious change in that asshat. Apparently, Kamoshida’s obsession with Akira was somewhat driven by her getting away from his grasps in the castle. 

And with that logic, they decided that maybe they should stop using their real names, that way they don’t keep bringing problems into the Real World. 

Akira was Joker. Ryuji was Skull. Morgana was Mona. And she wasn’t sure what her name would be just yet. But, maybe they could discuss that the next time they went in, as her outfit was kinda a blur in the hectic nature of the experience.

_ To think that we’re going back in there for a ‘next time.’ _

But, apparently, if they got to the end of Kamoshida’s Palace, and stole his “treasure,” whatever that was, they would be able to force him to repent of his crimes. 

Or, if they messed up, murder him.

Regardless, he’d be gone from their lives. 

It seemed fine to her either way, if she was going to be completely honest.

Though, all that talk of going through the castle led them to the question of how they were going to fight. And get new weapons.

Apparently, fakes that looked real were good enough, so they could just become regulars at a collector’s spot. 

And apparently Ryuji’s neighbor was one, so he was going to ask tonight about where he got his collection from. 

It was all weird. If she hadn’t been to that other reality, she would have never believed any of it. But now she understood why Akira and Ryuji had almost told her so many times, but never could find the words. It was completely impossible to explain to someone who did see it with their own eyes. 

As she sat there, musing, Boss brought her over the Peppermint Mocha she had asked for.

She took a tentative sip after thanking him.

He did, in fact, make a good Peppermint Mocha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I should have expected this, I told myself that these next few chapters would be quick and short. 
> 
> And here we are… 18 pages later.
> 
> As you see, I’m choosing to add some more friendship moments and overall fluff to the story where I get a chance. Also, I’m trying to write Ann and Ryuji and such as characters, keeping their backstories and check and such rather than having them slowly and sadly morph into stereotypes and characitures. 
> 
> Also, I don’t know you noticed, but I’m choosing to slightly change Morgana’s characterization. Instead of him just being haughty and caustic, I’m gonna have him be like a young child. When he knows something, he’ll be proud and full of himself and such, because that’s what kids do. But, he’s gonna ask a million questions, he’s gonna be somewhat shy and then hide or put on a front. He’s gonna do cute kid shit and ask cute kid questions. Because he’s a kid and new to the world. Just imagine the image of a little kitten sitting on a shoulder yammering on about the world. It’s real cute, and that’s what I’m going to going for, that image. 
> 
> If the last bit of the chapter feels rushed, it’s because I didn’t want to rehash all of the metaverse stuff, just focus on Ann’s reactions. 
> 
> I’m really proud of those Ann scenes though. Please let me know how you liked this chapter!
> 
> <3


	9. April 17th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ryuji and Akira go on an adventure, Morgana "hones his craft," and Iwai gets some new blackmail material.

**Ryu: Meet me at the Shibuya Diner around noon.**

**Ryu: I know where that collector store is**

**Kira: that was fast**

**Kira: sure thing!**

**Kira: Noon it is!**

**Ryu: sweet!**

Ryuji anxiously checked the time on his phone.

The last time that he had checked it had been about 30 seconds beforehand, but he wanted to make sure that he wasn't running late. He was positive that he was at the right place, and that he was early. But...

Leg pumping as his head swiveled at every noise around him, he leaned up against the wall to the diner. Eyes scanning the crowd looking for any sign of Akira.

_I wonder what she's going to look like out of uniform. I bet she’s cute._

He froze as soon as the thought crossed his mind, and then fervently shook his head.  _I can’t let myself think about that. She’s my friend and we’re going to buy fake guns together to murder a man in his own mind, I can’t let myself eff this up._

He groaned and slid to the ground, head in his hands.  _Shit. I think she’s cute. For real? Now?_

He was sitting on contemplating on the 50 different ways he could mess this up and ruin their heist on top of his friendship with Akira when he heard a giggle right in front of him. 

Jolting his head up, he gasped as he saw Akira standing right above him, giggling as she poked him in the head. 

_Oh no. She_ _is_ _cute._ He couldn’t stop himself from thinking that as he noticed each of her sleeves on her turtleneck were pushed up to a different length.

_Turtleneck?_

It was, in fact, a turtleneck. The neck of the shirt was rolled all the way up without any drooping.  _To cover up the scars. Shit._

“Hey, silly. Saw you down there and, well, you didn’t answer when I said hi… are you okay?” Her voice was still raspy, but was much stronger than yesterday.

“Yeah! Yeah! Never been better!” He leapt off of the ground with a very forced grin and made finger guns at her with a wink. 

“If you say so.” She replied with her soft smile still gracing her face, “Sitting with your head in your hands groaning is a weird way to be feeling your best, buy, hey, who am I to judge?” Her smile slowly merged into a smirk as she stuck her hands into the pockets of her overall dress and swayed back and forth on her heels.

“Oh, shove off.” Ryuji slammed his hands into his jacket pockets. “Are you coming or what?” he called over his shoulder as he started his way up the diner steps.

There was another giggle, and Akira followed him up, listening to his halfhearted muttering as they waited to be led to a table. 

A few minutes of silence passed as the two chose their food and ordered. After the waitress left them, Akira’s face turned slightly more serious. 

“So, where are we getting the models from? You said you knew? And that it was nearby?”

“Yeah! It’s right around here!”

“Really? I didn’t remember seeing a model store around here, and I think I was paying attention… Not that I doubt you! I just…” her eyes went wide as she tried to backtrack.

“No, no! It’s alright. It’s kinda hidden.”

“Then how do you know where it is?”

“Well, the shop keep is, well, kinda my next door neighbor.”

“You live next door to a kinda gun dealer?” her brow was furrowed incredulously.

“Shhhhh! Not so loud!” Ryuji’s hands flew up anxiously. 

“Sorry!” she grimaced.

“But yeah, I don’t live in the… best neighborhood. And he’s a good guy who has a kid a bit younger than me. They’re good neighbors. I have to admit he has some weird friends, but he’s pretty good himself.”

“Oh, that’s good to know at least.” her shoulders sagged in relief just a little bit. 

“Yeah, he’s a good guy. You don’t need to worry about him.” he grinned. “If anything, I need to worry. I think he figured out that I helped Kaoru with that prank last week.”

Akira groaned. “You can’t stay out of trouble for a moment, can you?”

“Nope!” he cheerfully replies, laughing with his head thrown back.

\---

The two of them finished their meal, Ryuji taking charge in leading them to their next location, wherever this gun store was. She was right on his heels until he started to turn down a darkened alleyway. She stood still as he continued going. 

After a few steps, he noticed that his shadow was no longer there. Spinning around, he saw her skirting the edge of the alleyway, eyeing the garbage cans lining sides. 

“Don’t worry. It’s safe. Trust me.” he gave her another of his dazzling grins, reaching his hand out to her. 

“The shop is really this way?” she cocked an eyebrow. 

“Yep! This is why I said that it’s out of the way. It’s in the alleyway.”

“Okay, I trust you.” She latched onto his arm as they traversed the alleyway until they reached a back area where it opened back up.

Ahead of them was a storefront, “Untouchable” blazed on the sign above the door. 

“Well, this is it. Let’s go in.” Ryuji dropped her arm and ran to grab the door for her. 

“Yes, let’s.” she ran over with him, anxious to get what they needed and catching on to his excitement. 

\---

Munehisa Iwai was a simple man. 

He kept up his shop, made sure Kaoru kept up on his grades, and that was that. He cut out all difficult and annoying things from his life: his ex-yakuza days, the asshole who used to live next door, difficult customers. 

He did his best to keep each part of his life separate as much as possible. The regulars at work didn’t know about his family life. And the people he considered family and friends didn’t really interact with work or his past.

And that was exactly how he liked it. 

So, when the door chimed open and in came in the brat who lived next door wearing the most obnoxious purple hoodie he had seen in quite sometime, he could actively feel the barrier between work and home fall down. 

But, when he walked in  _with a cute girl_ he had to admit that this whole situation could be salvageable. If only for the ability to tell Shun about the girl later.  _Freaking payback for that prank, brat. I know it was you._

“Hey, brat. You know I don’t mess with little kids, right?” his voice boomed across the store, causing the two teens to leap out of their skins.  _Heh. Gottem._

“What do you mean, I know you’ll sell to me!” Ryuji snapped back into his punk attitude with little hesitation.  _Doesn’t that brat know that acting like that could get you killed in the wrong place. I know he doesn’t actually have the gumption to back that attitude up._

“Last I checked, as the owner, I can revoke that right if you get obnoxious, squirt.” He scoffed, “Plus, why are you bringing a girl like that here? On a first date?” As Ryuji sputtered about the idea of this being a date, Iwai leaned over to the girl, “I hope you know that he’s not actually a tough guy. Don’t let his hair and him trying to act like he’s a gun collector fool you.”

She gave a quick nod in response. “Oh, don’t worry. I know he’s actually a softie.” she said with a grin. 

Ryuji sputtered more and started murmuring about how today had to be “Pick on Ryuji Day.”

She gave a quick huff of laughter at her friend and then turned back to Iwai. “I asked him to take me here. You see, I actually am the collector enthusiast. And when he mentioned that his next door neighbor ran a model store…”

“You?” Eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

_This little girl, with giant eyes and wearing a freaking overall dress in my store, is a collector?_

“Yeah! I really am loving pistols right now. Also, I’m trying to get Ryuji here into collecting,” she grabbed his arm to make her point, “and he only agreed after I showed him a model shotgun. He thinks those are the _coolest._ ”

Iwai had to sigh at that, of course he was into shotguns, they were all noise and bluster with no real range, just like the kid was.

“And then, well, what  _really_ cinched the deal was that our other friend, Ann, was super into submachine guns. So, we decided to come out here and see if we could get something for her too, because she’s had a really rough week.”

Iwai spun to Ryuji once more, who was still pouting on the girl’s arm, “Ann is into submachine guns? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I, uh, didn’t know? She just kinda shared that with us while Akira here was sharing her pistol obsession.” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. 

“Hmmm. She didn’t seem the type.” Iwai mused.

“Probably why she didn’t let anyone know.” The girl, Akira, chimed in while picking up a SMG that was sitting on the counter.

“Well, Ann is a good kid. And, well so are you, Ryuji, I guess,” he quickly added on the last bit seeing Ryuji’s face light up at the complement. “And you,” he turned to Akira this time, “seem to at least know your way around a gun catalog. So, let me set you up with the beginner's stock."

"Thank you so much!" Akira gave a quick bow in thanks.

Iwai scratched the back of his awkwardly, "None of that now. I don't do that formal shit. Just pick you fucking weapons and go."

Ryuji's face turned into a small '"o."

"And you," he pointed at Ryuji's open mouth, "if you tell your mom that I swore in front of her, I _will_ tell her about the prank you and Kaoru pulled last week.

There was an "eep" from Ryuji's direction as Akira giggled and pointed to a few selections. "I think these are the best from this selection."

He peered over to her choices, "You are absolutely correct. Good eye, kid. Let me get that for you and ring you out. Please, make sure to take the buffoon with you as you go."

\---

As they left the store with their purchases in small boxes, there was a sudden movement coming from Akira's purse. After a moment, a little black cat head popped out of the bag. 

"Hi, guys. So, what did I miss?" Morgana drawled out through a yawn.

"Wait. You've been in there the whole time?"

"Yeah! I think I fell asleep on the subway over. It was comfy."---

"It was comfy, all you can say is 'it was comfy?'"

Morgana's tail started to puff up, "Yeah! What of it? I was tired. I am new to this world's body and am tired. Fight me."

Akira quickly put a hand on Morgana's head. "Hey, none of that now. Ryuji and I grabbed lunch at the diner, and then went to the weapon store and bought some model weapons."

"All of that? And I missed it? Ugh!" He whined with a pout on his face. "So, uh, where are the weapons?"

"Right here." Ryuji held up the bag of boxes.

"They aren't very... gun shaped?" Morgana's head tilted. 

"Yeah. They're models, so we have to put them together first."

"What?"

"Yeah, we get to have fun putting them together tonight!" Akira clapped her hands together, "It'll be a fun project. You like tinkering with things, right?"

"I do more than tinker with things!" Morgana was doing his best to look haughty, "I'll show you how to really make things!" he boasted.

"I'm sure you will. I look forward to it, in fact." Akira replied, soft smile back on her face. 

"That's right!" Morgana finally settled back down into his place in the bag.

"So, Kira, what's next on our list?" Ryuji questioned.

"Oh, I have a few things I'd like to pick up around Shibuya, if you wouldn't mind joining me..." she left the ending open ended, hoping that he would want to stay around, but not wanting to intrude.

"That sounds great! Let me show you the best places to get things." Once again in his element, he lead the way out of the backalley and back to the main road of Shibuya. Akira grinned at his enthusiasm and followed him once more into the city. 

Being awake this time, Morgana was alert and his head was practically swiveling around trying to absorb everything as he passed by. 

"Kira, why are we in an alleyway? Why is the way to the shop so far from everything else? Is that garbage? Why are we passing garbage to get to a store? Where did Ryuji take us? Are we going to die because of Ryuji?"

Akira couldn't help but laugh at the litany of questions as she hopped over a trashcan that had fallen over. 

"The shop is off of the beaten path in that alleyway because some people might why guns are being sold in the open, even if they're fake ones. They look really real, so some people don't want to see that in their face as they walk around. That was in fact garbage. People keep their garbage in alleyways to keep it out of the main thoroughfare. We are _not_ going to die because of Ryuji. He is helping a lot."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

By the end of their conversation, Ryuji had led them back to the main road of Shibuya. Emerging back into the light and the hustle and bustle of the city was a rather jarring change after the overcast darkness of the alleyway. Akira had to pause and cover her eyes at the sudden shift. 

"Woah! Look at all of this stuff!" the bag on her arm was practically jumping. 

"It's a really busy part of the city, so there's a lot going on. Thankfully, we have a lot of time to slowly see it all."

"I can't wait!" his tail was vibrating from excitement.

She giggled as she started towards Ryuji again, who had been waiting for her to regain her bearings. 

"So, where to, Kira?"

"I need to get some plant food."

"You have a plant?"

"Yep! There was a nice houseplant in my room, and it was kinda near death. So, I think I'm gonna try and nurse back to life. I've named it Deborah."

"Deborah?"

"Yep!"

"Why?"

"I had a lot of free time yesterday."

"Valid." There was a pause. "Well, there's a store with plant supplies this way. Come on." He gestured down past the BBB. 

The two of them walked in step with each other, happy to have a friend to just hang out with like this while. The two had pretty companionable silence while Morgana was practically on Akira's shoulders instead of in the bag, yammering away about every single sign that he saw along their way. Every once in a while, Morgana would ask a question instead of just read a sign to them, and, without fail, Akira would answer very patiently to the best of her ability. 

"You know, I have to say, you're pretty good with handling him." Ryuji eventually mentioned. 

She waited up Morgana was entranced by the tuna selection at the 777 before answering. "Yeah, he's honestly kinda like a little kid. Right down to a T. And, well, I babysat a lot of kids. So, you learn how to deal with it pretty well."

They reached the store and entered, roaming the aisles while searching for the plant food. Morgana was waiting outside, knowing that cats weren't really welcome into store. As much as he hated being judged for his faulty exterior, he was excited to have a chance to look at that fish stall at that store a few doors down.

"You babysat?"

"Yeah. It was a job."

"Any good stories?"

"Not too many. My favorite was a little girl named Nanako. I miss her a bit now that I'm here."

"What was she like?"

"She was honestly really self-dependent. Her dad just wanted to make sure someone checked up on her. She got used to having someone around when his nephew was staying with him, but after all of that happened, and Narukami went back to the city, she got lonely. So, I offered to help out when Hanamura couldn't. It paid well, I can say that much. And she was a good kid. Maybe a little too obsessed with June's, but a good kid."

"That sounds like a pretty good gig. A self-sufficient child, a good pay? That's great."

"Yeah, it was. I hope she's doing well."

They finally found the plant food that they wanted. Ryuji had also found himself a few candy bars and one of Ann's favorites ("She'll appreciate them. She copes with everything with sweets.")

While they were waiting in line to pay, Ryuji was bouncing his foot while heavy in thought.

"What is it, Ryu?"

"Well, why don't you know how Nanako is doing?"

"I don't have her number."

"Why not? You obviously were in contact for the job."

"I... was cut off from my family's phones when all of this happened. I had to get myself a phone plan. And I don't have my old numbers because the police took it as 'evidence.'"

His fist tightened around their bags. "Are you shitting me? You lost all ability to talk with anyone you cared about?"

"I mean... no one really wanted to talk to me anyways after everything that happened. The only people I actually miss talking to would be Dojima and his daughter."

"That's friggin bullshit."

"It's what happened."

"That doesn't ---" He started before Akira cut in.

"I know. But this is easier. Plus, I have you all now. And I don't have to worry about anyone from my past harassing me about what they heard happened. Just..." she sighed, "just let it be."

Ryuji sighed, he hated seeing her this upset. "Fine. I'm not happy about it. But, yeah, I guess that's good."

"Thanks. You're my best friend, you know that?"

He blushed. "I am. But what about Ann?"

"She's great. But you're my best friend. Don't you forget that."

She turned to the register, paid for everything, and then handed the bags to Ryuji. 

"Now, let's go save the grocer from Morgana. That cat has probably stolen half of their fish stock by now."

Ryuji let out an uproarious laugh, "You're right. Let's go!" and he dashed out of there.

_Man, he does nothing halfway, does he?_ Akira thought to herself as she went after him at a much more leisurely pace. 

\---

After a rough search and rescue mission trying to get a hold of a cat crazed for fish, Ryuji and Akira were resting in the Shibuya station with smoothies from a local vendor. 

"These are disgusting." Ryuji's face seemed like it was permanently in shock. 

"This is... definitely not the best thing I've ever had." Akira grimaced right along side him.

Morgana, however, was sitting next to them on the bench laughing. "You guys look so silly! And, _man_ , that stuff smells _bad._ "

"Shuppup, cat, or I'll pour some down your throat!" Ryuji threatened with a smile.

"I. Am. Not. A. Cat."

"I like that that's what he focused on from that all, Ryu. I think he doesn't even want to consider you following through with that."

"Well, he can freaking try me."

Morgana eeped and dove back into Akira's bag.

"Hey, don't think that you're safe in there from the consequences of being rude." she poked the side of the bag as he yowled.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"That's what I thought." Ryuji grinned once more. He stood up to toss out his still _very_ full cup and plucked Akira's out of her hand. 

"Akira."

"Yes?"

"Why is this empty?"

"Waste not, want not."

"You know that you don't have to drink literal trash, right?"

"Waste. Not. Want. Not."

"Kira, no."

\---

After parting ways and taking home a _very_ tuna filled Morgana, Akira got to work creating all of the model guns that she had bought today with Ryuji. 

As she was tinkering with the gears and levers to recreate a submachine gun, Morgana yawned and finally pulled himself out of her bag. 

"Oh, we're home. That's good."

"The trains really knock you out, don't they?"

"Heh, I guess so, it's the rocking movement."

"You know, I hear that's a common thing."

"Really!" His tail shot up suddenly in curiosity. "That's a human trait?"

"Yep!" She chimed back. _In babies and children. But he doesn't need to know that._

"See! I am human!"

"I never doubted you."

He was practically preening as he made his way over to the desk.

"So, you're working on the models you got today?"

"Yep! Gotta set them up so they look realistic for our next foray into Kamoshida's mind."

"You're doing a great job helping everyone with this. You know that, right?"

Her hands faltered for a moment. 

"I mean, I guess. I just... I just wanna make sure that everyone is okay. And that they get the closure that they need. I'm here to support them with their goals. And so, I will do this."

"You also need closure, you know?"

"I'll be fine. I've learned to accept that it doesn't have to happen for me to continue living."

"But, they get to have it."

"They deserve it."

_And I don't_. Was the unspoken followup to the that.

Telling that she was not in the mood to contest that fact, Morgana awkwardly looked around the room before breathing in quickly. 

"What is it, Morgana?"

"I forgot! I was going to teach you how to make lockpicks! No Phantom Thief should be without the ability to make them!"

"That does sound useful."

"Mreow heh heh. I know it is!" He was now imitating the anime girl laugh he saw while watching videos over Akira's shoulder yesterday.

Giggling at the sight, Akira shook off her depressing mood and instead eagerly looked at her cat friend. 

"Please teach me."

"It would be my pleasure! Bring me more tuna as payment!"

"Hell fucking no! You had enough today!"

"No fair!"

"You stole half of the freaking fresh tuna from the grocery store!"

"I was honing my craft!"

"I will let Sojiro take you in to get neutered if you keep this up!"

"I'M SORRY!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends!
> 
> I got this out. Sorry for the wait. I moved across the country 1 week ago. And well, that's exhausting. Writing hasn't been as priority for understandable reasons. I'm getting nice and settled in, and so I am writing more. Hope to get back on a rhythm soon.
> 
> This went a bit of a different direction than planned. It was... more shippy than intended.
> 
> I still don't know the ships for this story. Do not assume that this is Ryuji/Akira. Because I honestly do not know how this is all going to end up. I just wanted to write a somewhat fluffy moment for Ryuji and Akira to hangout in. And this is what happened. Ryuji likes cute girls. Akira likes having friends. That's where it is right now.
> 
> Also, Akira is wearing a v cute outfit and I love it. And she is wearing a turtle neck for 2 reasons. 1) to match male mc 2) because neck injury. Also 3) it cute (added bonus)
> 
> Asuga, Ryuji's mother's name, means fast.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm gonna get to work on the next chapter soon. Please let me know your thoughts! Your comments have honestly been motivating me to write this more and more.


	10. April 18th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira chooses to live the honest school life, even when offered truancy. Morgana seeks education despite his station. Ann is onto Ryuji's secret. Ryuji has learned how to read. And Akira sees a doctor.

“You know, you don’t have to go.” Boss sighed. “I don’t want you to feel unsafe at your school, and I don’t really want you  _ anywhere _ near Kamoshida…”

Akira cut in. “No. I can’t. I have to go.”

He raise his eye brows and opened his mouth to rebuff that.

“I know that I don’t, like,  _ legally _ have to go. I can still say I’m healing. But, like, I have to do this. I can’t put it off any longer. And I can’t let him think that he’s scared me off.”

“But the rumors from your classmates…”

“Are going to happen regardless, and me avoiding school will only give them credence. Ann already told me some shit that happened just on the one day I  _ did _ miss. I can’t do that again.”

Sojiro sighed, “I can tell that you put a lot of thought into this. I guess I won’t stop you.” He massaged his forehead, “Just, be careful, alright.”

“I will.”

His gaze turned serious. 

“No, really. Be careful. If you start to feel that you’re unsafe, for any reason before this stupid deadline, let me know. I will pull you out of class citing, I don’t know, a sudden doctor’s appointment. Follow ups for your neck that I forgot about before now.”

Akira’s eyes were a little misty as she took another bite of her breakfast. “Thanks. And, uh, I’ll let you know of anything else I find that could be useful to your investigation?”

“If you can. But, kid, don’t strain yourself. The people you already have, those classmates of yours, are already enough to pretty much close things. It’s more of me having to talk to people and get things set up that would take the time.”

She nodded in return.

“Remember, Kid,” he started back up, “I’m the one looking out for you. Not the other way around. You don’t have to do anything.”

_ That’s what you think. _ She sighed. She tried not to let her face fall too much as she resigned herself to her fate.

_ I hate that I have to go behind your back and against your orders. You’re the first adult who has been nice to me.  _

She took a gulp of the healing tea Dr. Takemi had left.

_ But… I have to do this. _

_ For Ann. _

_ For Ryuji. _

_ For Shiho. _

_ Shiho….. _

“Hey, Kid. You look like you’re about to cry. You sure about this?”

“Yeah…” she looked off for a moment. “I was just thinking about Shiho again.”

He paused from wiping the espresso machine, “Kid.”

She was still looking at her tea.

“Akira. Look at me.”

She peered up.

“Shiho was not your fault. And I know you feel like you have a portion of blame, and I know it’s gonna take some time to accept it. But her blood is not on your hands.”

“I know…”

“Yeah, I know you know I’m not fully wrong.”

He wiped his hands on his rag as he went to grab Akira’s now empty plate.

“But, what’s more important, Kid, is that you also understand that it is normal and, honestly, healthy for you to think about this and grieve and let yourself fully think about it. It, well, it helps you process it, and therefore helps your brain absorb it so it’s a less traumatic experience.”

She tilted her head. “How do you know all of that, Boss?”

“You forget a few things. One, I have Futaba, and lord knows I needed to clinical psych to figure out how to reach her. And two, I have a fairly large background in psych work.”

“I thought you were security?”

“For a psych research unit. You, uh, pick things up as you work.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “That makes sense.”

She could almost feel his relief at her acceptance of that,  _ strange, but he probably just doesn’t want to talk about his life before Leblanc _ , and grabbed her things to head out the door to school. 

“Have a good one!” she called behind her as she opened the door to the cafe. 

She heard a muffled call back underneath the bell as the door swung shut. 

With a final sigh, she started her way back to school, throwing her bag of her shoulder and feeling it hit her side with a stronger show of force than usual. 

\---

By the time she arrived at Shujin, she was shaking. 

It wasn’t a full body shake that would incapacitate her, but a light trembling that was eminating from her core. 

_ I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. _

Maybe, just maybe, if she repeated it enough times to herself she’d believe it. 

_ Dammit. _

While she had been pumping herself up, her hand had crept up to her neck and was anxiously itching at her injury. 

_ I have to be careful not let anyone see.  _

She did a final check that he turtleneck was all the way up before walking across the threshold to the school. 

Almost immediately, the whispers started back up. 

_ ~She’s back.~ _

_ ~Yeah, I heard she had to take a day off after Kamoshida was done with her, that whole Takamaki betrayal must have really made him mad.~ _

_ ~She’s wearing a turtleneck now? I wonder if she has hickies! *giggle*~ _

All she could do was reposition the bag on her arm and steel her gaze forward. She kept her course until she arrived at her desk in the classroom.

She shrugged her bag off of her shoulders as she slumped into her seat. She was so focused on Ann’s greeting that she didn’t notice the slight movement from her bag.

Akira pulled her back up and froze as she went to grab her books out. 

_ My bag is a lot lighter…. And it was open? Did someone steal anything….? Why…. are my books so warm? _

So, when Morgana’s paw slipped out and rested on her hand, she damn near screamed. However, knowing that that would only hurt her reputation, she managed to stifle it to a small noise in her throat and blinking with wide eyes at Morgana, urging him to explain what the fuck was going on.

He seemed to recognize that she wanted some level of explanation.

“I, uh, didn’t want to get bored? And I didn’t want to miss the meeting after school with you guys….” and then his voice dropped to a mumble, “And I really wanted to learn more about the world with you….”

Even as she strained to hear the final part of his reasoning, she couldn’t help but smile.  _ He really is a kid. _

She leaned down, acting as if she was trying to grab something off the floor and whispered towards the feline in her desk. “Okay, but the thing is, you’re not allowed to be here, technically. So, you gotta keep quiet, you gotta stay there, and in exchange I’ll eat on the roof so you can run around.”

“Deal.” Tail slowly curling up into a question mark, pleased that he was allowed to stay.

Ann was eyeing the situation curiously, confused as to what Akira was doing until she thought she heard a voice coming from the desk.

Her jaw dropped slightly and she tapped the top of Akira’s desk to try and get her attention.

“Hm?”

Ann pointed down at the desk, “Is he really…?”

“Yep.”

“Curiosity got the cat, huh?”

There was a slight growl that emanated from the desk between the two girls until Akira’s leg swung against the leg with a clearing of her throat.

A small “eep” was their only response and the two girls shared a quick smile before Kawakami called the class to order.

\---

“Freedom!” Morgana flopped onto one of the boxes scattered around the roof the moment the bag was set down.

“You’re the one who decided to go to school. You could have always stayed home.” Akira wagged her finger at him as she sat next to him and pulled out her lunch. 

“Yeah, dude. How could you turn down skipping school? That’s, like, the dream!” Ryuji’s arms were fully extended as he flopped onto a crate facing the others.

And was promptly smacked upside the head by Ann as she moved a box over a little bit to join the circle next to him. “Just because you don’t see the point in learning more about the world doesn’t mean he’s dumb for doing so. You should honestly be embarrassed that a cat is showing you up at school.”

“Shuddup!”

“Make me.”

Ryuji started muttering under his breath until he caught Akira laughing at the interaction. After which he clammed up and blushed.

“Oooo, cat’s got your tongue, Ryuji?” Ann prodded his shoulder to try and continue the teasing. But saw that he seemed actually upset and instead shifted to calmly placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. “Hey, it’s alright. Just having some fun. Sorry if I hit a nerve.”

“It isn’t that… it’s just. Ugh.”

His eyes drifted over to Akira. 

“Ah. Gotcha.” Ann gave a solemn nod and turned away, biting her lip.

Thankfully, Akira was distracted during that interaction by Morgana. Who was very proud at being complemented on his desire to learn by Ann. 

“Morgana!”

“Yes, Ann!” he spun from his rambling towards the blonde girl.

“So you joined Akira because you wanted to learn more about being human and how the real world works?”

“Yeah! Well…. That and I was worried you’d forget about me if you had a Metaverse meeting…”

“You know, Monamona, that’s, uh, actually a good point.”

“You’d forget about me!” his tail was straight up.

“No! Never!” Ryuji’s hands were up and trying to placate the cat. “I just mean that now we don’t have to, like, go to get you and then coming back to school when we decide to infiltrate again.”

Ann’s face lit up, “You’re right! That gives us more time in the Metaverse to fuck Kamoshida up!”

Morgana’s face lit up and he posed himself in a very haughty stance as he continued, “Exactly! That was the other part of my reasoning! I’m glad that one of you caught on to it. And of course it was you, my dear Ann.” 

Thankfully his eyes were closed as he extolling his own virtues, as the others on the rooftop were looking at each other with tight faces, trying not to let the cat notice their laughter. 

The group of teens realized that one of them had to speak. Akira motioned at Ann.

“Thanks, Morgana. Good job coming up with that all. Glad to see you’re thinking ahead!”

The cat couldn’t stop preening, even as Ryuji accidentally got rice on his fur after a particularly good joke from Akira.

Towards the end of lunch, as they were starting to pack up, the door to the rooftop slowly opened up. The group froze as they watched the door open, Morgana diving into the still open bag. 

Mishima popped his head out. “Hey, I thought I saw you guys come up here.”

They all sighed.

Ryuji piped up, “Hey Mishima! What brings you up here?”

Mishima scuffed his feet, “Well, I, uh….” his breath caught. He swallowed and continued on, “I just wanted to let you know, that Kamoshida came in today, and he’s been real mad, but has locked himself in his office. He’s been making phone calls nonstop, and he doesn’t seem to happy while he’s talking.”

The other three teens shared a dark look.

“Well, that means he’s keeping up his end of the bargain, I guess.” Akira sighed. 

Mishima’s head turned in confusion, “Huh?”

“Oh yeah! Her guardian came by yesterday and beat the shit out of him. It was effing amazing.”

Mishima’s jaw dropped a little. “Your guardian…. Came here…. And stood up to Kamoshida?”

Ann beamed as she swung an arm around Akira’s shoulders, “Yep! He’s actually a really great guy and was looking out for her. So, he’s helping us to build a case against the shithead. Kamoshida isn’t allowed to touch any of us until the next board meeting or else he’ll be arrested for messing with an investigation. So, I imagine he’s pissed and is trying to see if he can get out of it.”

Mishima’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “That’s… that’s… incredible!”

Ryuji ran over and gave Mishima a quick noogie, “Yep! He’s kinda of the man, and he’s gonna finally deal with the Kamoshida! We just gotta lay low until then, okay?”

“I can do that!” Mishima’s head was nodding with a worrying intensity.

Akira gave a soft smile, “Thanks. It’s because of you that we were able to get this far. I’ll see you in class, okay?”

Mishima smiled as he took in the request to leave. He turned back to the rooftop door and made his way back down with a quick hand thrown over his shoulder as a farewell.

As he headed down the stairs, he couldn’t help but feel his smile drop. 

_ Why did Akira’s guardian step in? Why didn’t my parents?  _

His hands balled up in fists as he made his way back to the classroom.

\---

Due to Kamoshida refusing to leave his office, gym class that afternoon became more of a free period.

Akira wasn’t really sure what to do during her free time, as she had been keeping up with her homework and felt confident for the quiz that they had tomorrow in Science.

So, she pulled out her phone to text Ryuji, as his class usually had gym at the same time, only to see that he was one step ahead of her. 

**Ryu: Hey**

**Ryu: So, gym is cancelled**

**Ryu: You doing anything?**

**Kira: Nope.**

**Kira: Was about to ask you the same thing haha**

**Ryu: Really?**

**Ryu: Well….**

**Ryu: I was wondering if you oculd help me with something**

**Kira: I’m not doing your essay for you**

**Ryu: No!**

**Ryu: Just… wanted to know if you’d help me at the library**

**Ryu: I wanted to find a book about Cap’n Kidd**

**Ryu: But I don’t know my way around libraries like you do**

**Kira: I’ll be there.**

**Ryu: You’re the best!**

She couldn’t help but smile at his request.  _ He’s really doing his best, isn’t he? _

Ann looked up as Akira got up to meet Ryuji, accepted the wave she got in response, and then looked back at her homework.  _ I’ve got a shoot today after school and gotta finish this damn study guide. _

\---

Akira, meanwhile, was very grateful for the impromptu free period. It allowed her to walk about the school without the usual droves of other students. So, this was probably the first time she had been able to walk around Shujin sans the whispers and gossip that seemed to follow her like a cloud.

The peace was nice. So nice, in fact, that she purposefully took a longer way to the library than needed. Being able to pretend that she was a normal high school girl was a nice fantasy while it lasted. 

_ I feel like I could just hang out with people, and make jokes… and talk about when we’d have to work…  _

She stopped walking for a moment as she was hit with a wall of nostalgia. As she looked around the hallway that she had stopped in, she was hit with the reality that she truly was no longer in Inaba.

_ I miss Yosuke. His jokes always cheered me up. Stupid though they may have been at times, he always knew how to get me out of a funk. He was... a good manager. Even when he was paired with his silly cousin, Teddie. _

Giving herself another moment to smile sadly at a memory of Teddie going out of his way to irritate Yosuke (“ _ Don’t call me Hanamura-san, that’s my dad! _ ”  _ “Are you sure? You look like you’re getting beary old to me!” _ ), she pushed herself off of the lockers that she was leaning against and continued towards the library. 

As she turned the corner, she saw Ryuji leaning up by the doors, leg bouncing a mile a minute as his eyes searched the halls for her.  _ I guess I did take my time in coming over here. _

His eyes lept up to meet her as she sheepishly approached. She noticed his entire face light up in recognition, to which she subtly bit her lip.  _ Damn, he really looks forward to seeing me. And I kept him waiting, dumbass. _

“Hey, sorry it took a while for me to get here ---” She started, but Ryuji had started talking at nearly the same time. 

“Hey! Thanks for coming up here. I know it’s free period and all, and well, I really appreciate you helping me out.” he’s rubbing the back of his neck, trying his best to hide the blush that’s creeping up his cheeks.  _ Cute. _

“It’s no problem! I was actually just enjoying being in the school while it was quiet for a change, so, you didn’t interrupt nothing. So, don’t you worry there, Ryu!” she booped his nose as she opened the door to the library. He stood stunned at her action, so she grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the open door, as people were starting to stare. 

He followed her, dumbfounded, as she kept a hold of his arm by the wrist. His hand dangled limply in her grasp. She led him over to a bookshelf full of history books and turned back to face him.

“What?” she whispered.

He shook his head and closed his slightly ajar mouth, “Uhh…. nothing.” he spoke quickly and then spun to examine the bookshelf that they were in front of.

She tapped her foot for a moment, mouth clamped shut in amusement waiting for him to give up.

A minute later, he gave up and looked back at her. “So, how the hell do you find a book here?”

Despite her best attempts, a slight giggle burst from her lips and she sighed. “You gotta look by subject. We’re looking at the bookshelf about the Aztecs. C’mon, this way.”

“Man…. why did we even stop here at first then?”

“I just wanted to see what you’d do.” She said, with a wink over her shoulder and she made her way to the reverse side of the bookshelf. “And see, here we are, the Privateers of England and the United States of America.”

“But Captain Kidd was a pirate.”

“Yes. And most all pirates were privateers. It’s a fancy word for them.”

“That’s dumb…” he muttered under his breath.

“There’s a lot to it, but you’ll learn the difference in here.” she said as she pulled out a book,  _ Pirate Legend. _

“You think this one is good?” his face was scrunched up as he examined the book. “It looks… I don’t know… hard?”

“Hey. It shouldn’t be too hard for you. I know you can do it. Plus, it’s about your persona. Trust me when I say you’ll have a hard time putting the book down.”

“For real?”

“Yeah. And, hey, let me know what you find out when you read it. I’m interesting in knowing how your persona reacts.”

“Will do!” he gave her a giant thumbs up.

“~shhhhhhhhh~” a brown haired girl with piercing red eyes at the table closest to them hissed out at his outburst.

Ryuji shot straight up. “Sorry, sorry! I’ve been searching for this book and got excited. Sorry.”

“I understand, but you’ve now found the book, and won’t be quiet, so  _ please. Leave. _ ” the girl continued to hiss at them. 

He gulped and made his way to the front desk to check out the book, dragging Akira behind him. This time, he was the one to be leading her around by the wrist, and did so until they were out of the library.

Once they cross the threshold, Ryuji leaned up against the wall once more and gave a giant sigh of relief. 

“Okay, what’s the big deal? I mean, talking in the library isn’t great, but what’s the big deal?” Akira was, to put it lightly, very confused. Ryuji hated bothering others, but wasn’t usually so tense about it.

“Do you not know who that was?” his eyes bulged a little at the thought.

“No? Should I?”

“That’s the student council president! Makoto Nijiima? Was she not there when you came to meet the staff?”

“No. It was just the principal and Kawakami.”

“Really?” His face was scrunched up again, trying to figure that out.

Akira’s face dropped, the light dimming slightly, “They probably didn’t want to sully their precious president with a criminal like me. Can’t have me interacting with the important people, lest I infect and corrupt them.” She gave a very forced smile and started scuffing the floor with her feet.

Ryuji blinked a few times as he realized that she was right. His hands started to turn to fists again when he realized that he was still grasping her arm.

“Oh! Sorry!” he dropped her wrist. “I’m sorry for pulling you out of there.”

“It’s fine… I’ll leave you to your book. I’ve gotta go anyways. School’s almost done and I have doctor’s appointment this afternoon.” She refused to lift up her head, her tone almost monotone. She turned away from him as soon as he let go of her and started to shuffle away.

“Wait! Akira! You know that none of that is true, right?” she was still shambling away. So, he ran up to walk aside her. “You have a doctor’s appointment? What for?”

She smiled weakly at his concern, “I have a follow up. Gotta check on my neck again. Her medicine has done wonders, but my voice is still lower and my throat is scarred. So, she’s gonna be doing constant check ups on it. ‘Try to minimize the lasting effects’ and all that shit.”

Ryuji slowed his steps as he took that in.  _ She’s scarred? I left her there….  _

She took his slowed pacing as an opening and slipped through the doors to Shujin and around the corner before he recovered from his mental funk.  _ Shit. She’s gone. Dammit. _ He hit his bum leg once more, pissed at the damage it caused to others through his own weakness.

\---

She slipped through the crowds until she was safely on route to Shibuya. 

Once she was alone with her own thoughts, she was trying to find any train of thinking that wouldn’t be related to Miss Student Body President and how the principal was hiding her from her.

_ Ryuji? No, he’s in that memory. Ann? Maybe? No, related to Ryuji. Shit, what can I distract myself with. _

After moment of mental turmoil, it came to her. Another thing that she had thought about today.  _ Yosuke and Teddie. June’s. _

_ I can get a job. _

She had seen job ads in the stations, she could find a part time gig. Make some non “death” related friends, get some cash to supplement their, honestly, expensive monster fighting gig, and have something to take her mind off of everything. It honestly seemed like a win-win to her. 

Her mind made up, the train pulled into Shibuya and she leapt out and pinpointed the nearest job search board and peered through her choices. 

_ Hmmm… This one sounds fine, but this one sounds a little too overwhelming…. _

From inside of her bag, she heard a small yawn. Giving her feline friend some space to breath, she zipped open the corner to give him a view of what she was doing.

His little head poked through the crack in the bag and was reading the papers in Akira’s hands. 

“So, you’re looking for a job? Why?”

“Because I want something normal… and it can’t hurt to have some more money to supplement us in the Metaverse.”

Morgana hummed for a moment in thought, “That makes sense. But you gotta make sure it doesn’t fill up too much of the schedule. Gotta leave time to, you know, actually go to the Palace.”

She shuffled through a few more options and sighed, “You’re right.” She found a page and read it a few times, “I think this might be a good way to go.”

“What is it?” His ears perked up.

“It’s to be the on-call person. Like, if there’s a call out or something, I can be on the list of people to come in last minute. I can turn it down if I have something else going on, but it means that when I’m free I can pick up a shift somewhere.”

“Oooo! That sounds smart! You should definitely sign up!” She could feel him purring through the bag. 

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna... “ She read the paper once more. “Well, I’m gonna stick this in the bag with you, if you don’t mind. I don’t got anywhere else to put it.”

“Oh, fine. I guess…” he huffed as he scooched over the the bag to make room.

“Thank you for being so understanding. Now, don’t worry, we’re heading home now.”

_ Home… _

That was a weird thing to just accept, but yes, she had, in fact, found a home.

\---

Sojiro sighed as Akira finally came through the doors of Leblanc.

“Glad you remembered to come home. You’ve got that appointment real soon. So, make sure you head out as soon as you can.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Boss.”

“Oh, and I had trouble trying to find your cat. I went up to feed him lunch and he was nowhere to be found. I’m sorry, Akira….” He was quiet. 

His eyes couldn’t leave the one spot on the counter that he was wiping. The girl had the cat for less than a week and it had ran away. But it had done so much good for her. How could he ever make it up to the girl for letting it escape while she was at school, she had trusted him….

“What do you mean? He was with me the whole time!”

Stunned, he stared at her, mouth agape.

“Yeah, he apparently took Ann’s command to always watch out for me really seriously. I found him in my school bag after I arrived at school, and then he just took a nap in my desk all day.”

“You brought the cat. To school?”

“Not on purpose!” Her arms swung up to defend herself. “I promise! He decided for himself to slip into the bag while I wasn’t looking.”

He sighed.  _ Of fucking course it did.  _

“You know what. You have your doctor’s appointment. And, well, Dr. Takemi said that she’d be your therapist as well. See if she’ll write a script about your cat. It can’t hurt.” He waved his hand in defeat at her. 

“I promise he brought himself…”

“Sure. Just go. Get ready for your appointment. Leave the cat here.”

She nodded as she ran upstairs, cat in tow. 

_ How the hell did she manage to get away with the whole cat thing anyways? She didn’t look like she was trying to hide anything when she left today. So, how did the cat manage to sneak into her things…  _ **_and_ ** _ keep quiet the whole day? What kind of cat is that? That damn thing won’t shut up when she has it here! _

He shook his head a few more times in disbelief and got back to scrubbing the espresso wand.  _ Lord knows this damn thing won’t clean itself. _

He was etching off an particularly bad milk stain when he heard a flurry of motion coming down the stairs.

“I’m off to the doctor’s! Don’t worry, Mona is in my room, I double checked. Thanks! Bye!” She was a blur, dashing across Leblanc. 

It wasn’t until the door slammed shut and the chime of the bell finished ringing that Sojiro finally blinked. “Well. That was something.” 

He harrumphed as he checked the time.  _ Running late. That seems to be a theme for first meetings for her. _

\---

The waiting room of the office was bland and mundane.

It didn’t fit the personality of the doctor running the office at all. 

Akira felt very uncomfortable as she entered the room and crossed the stale, unliving room to approach the Check In Desk.

She went to clear her throat to announce herself to the receptionist when the glass slid open to reveal Takemi herself lounging at the desk.

“Oh, hey. Glad to see you made it. I was worried that you might skip.”

She took a step back, “Why… why would you think that?”

Takemi held back a yawn, “I know you skipped your first day of school. And you have severe trauma to get over, and skipping events that are related to said trauma is normal.”

Akira blinked a few times in response.  _ I guess Boss wasn’t kidding when he said that she’d be doing my mental health as well. _

“If you’re done standing there and staring, you can come on in and we can get this all started.”

“Oh! Yep! Yeah!” Akira jolted into motion and slid into the adjoined room. 

“Okay. So, I’m gonna call you Akira, or kid, or brat. I’m your therapist and would like to have a level of familiarity… unless you have an issue with that?”

A quick shake of the head.

“Good. And, for that matter, you may call me Tae. Unless that makes you uncomfortable. And, as you already knew, I am also your main doctor. I try not to cross the streams too often… but Sakura-san has assured me that this is a delicate matter.” Tae gave a massive sigh. “You like to be in the middle of trouble, don’t you? Had to get sent here for a bullshit charge, had to draw the ire of your teacher, had to stand up for your friend. Get into another legal case? You got a hero complex or something?”

Akira tittered awkwardly from the office bed.

Tae gave a small smile, “Hey, it isn’t your fault, you’ve been dealt a shitty hand. And, well, it’s my job to help. So, can we start with you taking off that scarf around your neck? I gotta see how your neck is doing. I notice that your voice is a lot better, but is still raspy.”

Akira couldn’t help but wince as she slowly unraveled the black scarf from around her neck. As the cold air hit her exposed neck, she gasped involuntarily and devolved into a hacking cough.

“Oh, that’s no good….” Tae peered around Akira, “you’ve been using the medicine I gave you?”

Akira fervently nodded, “Yep! Exactly as you said to. It’s been working wonders!”

Tae’s eyes were wide for a quick moment until she trained her gaze back to neutral. “It does look a lot better. But… I am worried about --” 

“The scarring.” Akira finished for her, sighing.

“Yeah. That seemed to be some serious stuff, and I don’t know how much I can do. The stuff I gave you should have done something about it. And, well, I know that stuff works. So, honestly, I’d hate to think about what your neck would like now if you  _ didn’t _ have that gel.”

Tae took a moment to write a few things down on her clipboard.  _ Hmmm. She has a bit of rebel streak, I can tell that from the stories from Sakura-san. But… she is really compliant while working with me in this office. No fuss, no questions, just straight answers… Maybe I should try to tie in some therapy while I’m at it? _

Continuing her examination of Akira’s health, she started to pepper in very basic questions about Akira. “How was your day?” - stressful- “Tell me about your opinion of Sakura-san?” -better than expected- “You make any friends?” -Ann and Ryuji- “Which one got you the cat?” -Ann- 

_ Just as I thought, she answers without a second thought. _

Realizing that she was out of things to check out, and therefore out of excuses to keep sneaking in questions, she had to wrap up the appointment. 

“Okay, so things look to be healing up nicely. You’ve gained mobility and use of your neck in a very short time, which is better than expected. I’m gonna give you more of the gel and the pills from before to continue to assist in toning down the pain there. I heard that cough you gave earlier, it can’t hurt to have these on hand. And, honestly, feel free to slather this gel on thick; I have tons more and it can only help you.” She was handing Akira the prescriptions as she was speaking, rifling through the file cabinet next to her desk with ease.

“Ummm. Tae?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“You make your own medicine?”

“Yep. These are all Takemi Originals! Don’t you dare start to buy your meds anywhere else.” Tae’s eyes were daggers at the end. 

“Wasn’t thinking of it!” Akira jumped to try and placate her. And sighed at Tae’s snort in response. “I was just curious as to how you go to make the stuff.”

“Lots of patience, and some testing on people.”

“Is it hard to get people to test on?”

“Sometimes, and that’s when I often have to use myself for testing… and that can get real iffy.”

Akira nodded, that made sense to her. 

“Anyways, brat. That’s it for today. I’ll see you again next week for another appointment. We’re gonna be seeing a lot more of each other.”

“Yeah! I’ll see you then. Looking forward to it.”

She started to stand when a familiar warm glow started in her chest. 

**I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast begun upon the path of Death.**

_ Death? The fuck? _

**_Do not worry, my dear. It is yet another Arcana. Such as the Mandrake you once held._ **

_ If she’s another connection that Igor had mentioned, that means… that there’s a way for me to help her… _

**_Yes. Let us look for it._ **

“So, kid. I get you're tired, but are you going to get up and go home, or do I need to get your guardian?”

“No, no! I just… got lost in my thoughts! I’m on my way home!”

“That’s what I thought.”

\---

Another blur of light as the bell rang. Akira was up the stairs before Sojiro could even ask her how it went.

_ I guess Takemi-san started on the therapy part as well today? I… guess I’ll just ask tomorrow. _

\---

Morgana was already asleep in his tuna can as she started to get settled after the appointment.

She spared a moment to take a cute picture of him to send to the group chat, but then dove right into her work for the night: getting ahead on the homework, cleaning things up, and making a few more model guns. 

The last thing she did for the night, before rolling over to the bath and then to bed, was to re-pot the nice plant she had found.  _ A bigger pot will help it grow more. _ She pulled the plant food she had gotten with Ryuji out and liberally applied it to the soil, praying for it to come back into its own through her attempts at care. 

She fell asleep that night with the gel ointment soaking itself into her skin, anxious to have yet another physical scar to remind her of when she was too weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> This took a lot longer to get out than I had intended. 
> 
> As I had said the last time that I churned out a chapter, I moved real recently. And, well…. That’s what was going on here. I already moved the last time I wrote, but like, I was recovering from the action of moving. This time I’ve been recovering from the true integration process: getting a job, finding doctors, making a community. Those things. 
> 
> So, yeah! Start of Death’s Arcana. As you can see, Tae is going to be slightly alterred. Right now she’s still just doing her job, but she will open up more and more as Akira opens up, and as Akira finds that way to help Tae back in return! But, this is one of the ones that you can max out pretty damn early, so, it might seem like it’s progressing faster than others. But, well, it is.
> 
> also... I've given up on fighting my seeming unconscious desire to write Ryuji and Akira as romantic. So, things will probably end up continuing that way. And I've just accepted it and am planning for it. Whoops. But, really, I needed to stop fighting it, and myself. (seriously, like, MC/Ryuji isn't even my favorite ship, but it's what the characters were asking to have happen, and I won't fight them)
> 
> So yeah, still some kinks in my schedule to be ironed out, but we should be getting back on track with writing!
> 
> I love all of your comments. And, I promise you, each time that you’ve written one, I’ve been inspired to write, even if it’s only a few paragraphs at a time. So, please, keep that up!
> 
> <3


	11. April 19th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira answers questions in class while Morgana supports her. Ann plays matchmaker. Ryuji fumbles his way through a "totally not a date, we're just work out buddies" hangout that involves buying dinner. And, Ryuji reads! On purpose! For fun!

The turtleneck was itchy, but was a necessity. There was no way in hell that Akira would walk around Shujin with her neck on display. Not anymore. 

She sighed as her hand crept up to try and relieve some of the pressure building.  _ If I keep on scratching, it’s going to be obvious that there’s something up.  _

As she was caught in that inner debate, she was caught off guard by Mr. Hiruta calling on her. 

“Miss Kurusu! Which line connects with Point A in this diagram!”

Her hand slammed down as she tried to focus on the image on the board. 

_ This is… an optical illusion. I know this one! _

“It’s Point C!”

Mr. Hiruta looked shocked. “That’s…. Correct.” He paused for a moment, “Class, I hope that you were all understanding why she came to that answer. You see… Optical illusions test how we perceive reality. By messing with our conceptions and cognitive abilities, they are able to trick us. You assume B will be closer than C, and therefore your brain makes it so. But… that doesn’t change reality, it’s still C.”

Akira allowed herself a small smile at getting that question right on the fly like that, though it dipped slightly as the whispers from her classmates reached her. 

~ _ How did she know that?~ _

_ ~I bet she sucked a dick to get that answer!~ _

_ ~Wow! There’s more in her head than sex positions! I never would have guessed!~ _

Morgana’s tail snaked its way over to the underside of her arm and pressed itself against her. She looked down at the cat in her desk just to see him looking up at her sadly. He slowly blinked at her once they had eye contact. Akira sighed, feeling the stress slide right out of her the longer she looked at her desk companion. The smile made its way back to her face. Rejuvenated, she was able to pick her head up and continue to pay attention to lecture.

\---

The rest of the day passed by with a blur. 

Between pondering on the implications of what Mr. Hiruta said about cognitive abilities being controlled by perceptions and how those were able to control reality,  _ That must be how the fake guns work _ , and Ryuji asking her to hang out after school, she was barely able to pay attention in class. 

She did her best to take notes, as she wanted to continue to prove her classmates wrong and prove her intelligence… but it was a lot more of a reflex than deeply taking in the information.  _ I’ll just have to actually disseminate it when I get home. _

After hanging out with Ryuji. 

Fuck. 

She took a stabilizing breath as the final bell rang for the day. 

_ He said to meet him by the stairwell.  _

Sure enough, as she rounded the corner out of her classroom, a splash of yellow could be seen in the distance. She started to bee-line over to him, but remembered that she was walking with Ann. 

“So, you’re going to see Suzui-san after school?” Akira ripped her eyes off of Ryuji’s bright form in the distance to focus on her other friend. 

“Yeah. She’s not, y’know…” there’s a heavy pause, “awake… yet. But, I’m sitting with her and reading her favorite manga to her and doing my homework nearby and rewriting all of my notes so she has some for when she wakes up!”

“That’s fantastic. I know she’ll appreciate that.” Akira’s voice had dropped in pitch.

“Hey. Why don’t you call her Shiho? You know that she’d be alright with it, right?”

“I can’t. I… don’t deserve that.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

Ann went to open her mouth to refute Akira’s position, when they were interrupted by Ryuji.

“Hey! We still on for today?” He rushed over to the two of them and grabbed Akira’s arm.

“You guys have plans?” Ann turned to face Akira as well.

“Uh… yeah. Ryuji asked me if we could hang out after school. And… well… I knew that you’d probably be seeing Suzui-san…” Akira stammered out.

“Hey, hey! No need to defend yourself. I just was wondering…” Ann started to trail off. She noticed a smattering of a blush on the cheeks of her two friends. “Just wondering when y’all were going to let me know so I could leave the two of you alone! Goodness, you could have told me and I would have picked up on the hint! Just tell me all of the details later.” Ann waved over her shoulder as she left Ryuji and Akira frozen in the hallway. 

Akira slowly turned back to Ryuji, completely mortified by Ann’s outburst. His blush had flown all the way down his neck, his face gaping like a fish. 

“W-- why would she think that? Why would there be anything to tell her later?” He stammered while looking at Akira. 

_ Oh. _ Akira blinked a few times in realization.  _ Maybe… Ann has a point. _

“Are you gonna say anything! Or just take what Ann said lying down!”

His outburst snapped Akira back to attention. “First of all, shh.”

He bit his lip.

“Second of all, she’s gone now, so nothing we say could change her mind now…. Plus… she might start to think that you doth protest too much.” She threw in a wink to punctuate her sentence. 

“D-dammit!” Ryuji scowled as he followed Akira down the stairs. 

She led the two of them to the vending machines in the courtyard. 

“So… what did you want to do? It seemed like you had an idea of a plan when you invited me to hang out.” She tossed a drink from the machine over to him.

As he caught it, his face shined like the sun. His plans apparently were enough to help him overcome whatever lingering embarrassment he felt.

“Yeah! I wanted us to be workout buddies!”

Akira cocked one eyebrow up.

He rushed to continue his thought. “Well, you know. We both did sports and were athletic. And, now we have that Palace thing to deal with. And we’ve had to do some fancy maneuvers…. So… I thought it would be good to try and keep in shape outside of the weirdass shadow realm.”

“That… makes a lot of sense. But, why didn’t you also invite Ann?”

Ryuji started scuffing the floor with his toe. “Well, I didn’t want to take away from her time with Shiho. Y’know? Plus, I really need help and motivation to get back in shape.”

“Why? You’re already in good shape and know how to work out on your own?” She questioned.

“Yeah… but… like... “ There was a deep sigh. “Man, it’s hard. There are days when I can barely effin’ walk because of my leg. I don’t know if I’m capable of pushing myself to actually do a running regiment, y’know?”

Akira felt a drop in her stomach.  _ He’s trusting me. He’s looking to me for help. He wants me to help him regain a part of himself that was taken from him.. Just by being there. Of course I’ll help. _

Her face softened as watched him look back at her with hopeful eyes. 

“Of… of course I will. Hell, if you teach me how to have better endurance, I’ll teach you how to do some of my sick flips.”

“For real?” Like a golden retriever, his entire face lit up, she swore his eyes were sparkling. 

“Yeah.” his joy was infectious and she couldn’t help but beam back.

“Sweet! So, yeah, let’s get into our workout gear. Meet me out back by the trees!” He dashed away, limp barely noticeable as he got into his stride.

The smile on Akira’s face remained there as she ran after him, excited to help him be more and more like  _ this _ Ryuji.

\---

Ryuji sat down in the locker room and massaged his leg for a moment. 

_ Dammit. This was all it took? I need to learn a whole new stride! _

He ripped open then smallest pocket of his bag and pulled out a bottle of pain relievers. While waiting for them to have a chance to kick in, Ryuji snatched his phone out of his plaid pants. 

**Ryuji: Hey… thanks for the idea.**

**Ann: ;) knew it would work out.**

**Ryuji: how do you always know????**

**Ann: Women’s intuition. Duh.**

**Ryuji: But yeah… thanks.**

**Ann: Just like I told you. You’ll either realize she’s your best bro, or that you’re madly in love with her.**

**Ann: You just gotta hang out with her until you find out.**

**Ryuji: ahhhhh**

**Ryuji: don’t say shit like “madly in love with her” so casually.**

**Ryuji: what if she doesnttttt**

**Ann: you didn’t see her all day**

**Ryuji: what do you mean**

**Ryuji: I saw her at lunch**

**Ann: dipshit**

**Ann: she sits behind me**

**Ann: after you asked her to hang out**

**Ann: she spent all day sighing and staring out the window**

**Ryuji: for real?**

**Ann: And when school ended**

**Ann: and we walked over to you????**

**Ann: She forgot I was there**

**Ann: like, she saw your ugly mug**

**Ann: and she started smiling and forgot about me**

**Ryuji: youre lying**

**Ann: I wish. It was pathetic.**

**Ryuji: hey!**

**Ann: I had to clear my throat for her to remember I was there**

**Ann: and**

**Ann: even then**

**Ann: She was mostly staring at you**

**Ryuji: you’re making shit up**

**Ann: nope**

**Ann: women’s inutition don’t lie.**

**Ryuji: you better be right**

**Ann: I am.**

**Ann: promise**

**Ryuji: =__=**

**Ryuji: Gotta go**

**Ryuji: we’re gonna run**

**Ann: of course you are**

**Ann: TELL**

**Ann: ME**

**Ann: EVERYTHING**

**Ryuji: o7**

**Ryuji: tell shiho hi**

**Ann: o7**

\---

Akira was laying in the grass, watching the clouds with Morgana asleep at the base of one of the biggest trees when Ryuji approached. 

“Hey! Sorry for taking so long!” He waved as he jogged over to them.

“It’s no big! I haven’t had a chance to just relax in a while. It was… a nice change of pace.” She righted herself to a sitting position. “Everything okay, though?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, yeah. I just took some medicine for my leg and waited a moment to make sure it’s in effect while we run.”

“Smart.”

“Are you… planning on wearing that hoodie the entire run?”

“Well, I don’t plan on having anyone see my neck.. So….”

Ryuji bit his lip.

“I get it… but I also know that extra layers, especially when you’re unaccustomed to endurance running is not your best friend, especially if it’s gonna be constricting your neck…” he grimaced.

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Akira blankly replied.

“Well, the running route I’m wanting to take is my super secret running path. No one else knew about it. So… how about you keep that around your waist and only throw it on in case of an emergency people sighting?”

She looked around the area that they were standing while biting her lip. There was a slight tremble in her hands as she went to grab the hem of her hoodie. She went to take a steeling breath just to discover that there was no air going through to her lungs. 

Ryuji jumped to try and calm her down. “I mean. If you’re not ready for that, we can just do an easy day to see where we each stand!”

She sighed. 

“Sorry. I’m just… not ready.”

“No, no. It’s alright.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“But…”

“Nope. Take this water.” He tossed a water bottle over. “Take a good long swig. And then we’ll do a real easy workout to make sure you have a good stride and form. Make sure you have the foundations of endurance running set up.”

She cradled the water bottle like it was her child. A few moments after he finished speaking, she fully latched on to everything that he had said and nodded in response. 

He looked at her expectantly.

She froze and then her nodded, “Oh yeah.” and took a long drink of the cold water.

“Good.” He nodded. “You feeling better?”

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” She gave a quick fist pump and did some stretches. 

Ryuji froze for a moment as Akira casually did a split and threw her body to one side to grab her foot.

“How… do you do that?”

“Practice.” 

“Damn. I can barely touch my toes some days.”

“Hey, you said that we’d teach each other things. So, I can help you with a stretching regimen that will improve flexibility, and you can teach me how to run better. Tit for tat and all that.”

“Yeah!” Ryuji grinned and gave a thumbs up.

“So, let’s start of your stretches right….”

She walked him through a litany of basic stretches, blushing each time she had to correct his posture or stance.

(He may have messed up his stance on purpose a few times)

Afterwards they worked on running technique. Ryuji this time being the one to do the slight stance modifications to Akira. 

(She also may have done repeat mistakes on purpose)

“Okay,” Ryuji clapped his hands. “I think you’ve got it. And, well, to test it out, let’s run a short mile on my path here.” 

Akira glanced over at him, “You think I’m good for it?”

“I know you are! Plus, there’s no way to fully adjust to a new gait than to actually test run it for real! So, I’ll be watching you and correcting you as we go, alright?”

Akira nodded, “That sounds fair.”

Morgana, who had been taking a catnap under the tree, opened his eyes just barely. “Oh, are you guys going on your run now?”

“Yep! Can you watch our stuff?”

“Sure, sure.” Morgana’s tail flicked a few times in their direction, almost like he was waving them off.

“Thanks, Mona. Just… make sure you’re not seen. You might get in trouble if anyone sees you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” the cat yawned as he stretched his whole body out. Once he was done, he blinked a few more times in their direction and then dashed his way up the tree that was sleeping under before hand. His tail wrapped around the lowest branch as he laid like a loaf of bread on it. “I’ll be up here and keep an eye on things.”

“Thanks, Morgana!” Akira waved to him as she turned to meet with Ryuji at the start of their run.

“No problem.” Morgana muttered to himself, “Was getting tired of the two of y’all dancing around each other anyways.” he yawned once more and nestled into his resting spot once more.

Meanwhile, the two of them were off on a slow jog through the trees behind Shujin. Every minute or two, Ryuji would push the speed a little bit faster. 

Eventually, the pair broke through the trees to be running along the edge of the Aoyama Cemetary. There were still remnants of the cherry blossoms along their paths, as they had bloomed just the week prior. 

“Man, I’m mad that cherry blossom season was early this year.” Ryuji lamented as they ran along the walkways, changing whenever they saw people coming to honor the dead.

“Yeah, I saw them back in Inaba right before I moved out here… but…” She trailed off. 

“You weren’t really in the mood, were you.”

“Yep.”

“Hey, we’re doing pretty well. You wanna grab some food while we’re out, and then run back?”

“Do you have your wallet?”

“Yeah! Wait… it’s in my bag.”

“That’s what I thought, let’s turn around then.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And remember, it’s your treat!”

“Now why is it my treat! What do you think this is, a date or something?”

“You owe me at least 3 meals for your Metaverse bullshit. Do. Not. Forget. It.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s what I thought.” 

Ryuji meekly had his head down as he led them on the best path back towards the school.

Akira followed with her head up high, happy to get her food that he owed her.

\---

As the two sat side by side waiting for their ramen, Ryuji was fiddling with his sleeves until he finally turned over to Akira.

“Hey. Um. Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Running with me.”

“I mean, sure. Thanks for putting up with me not being much of a runner.”

“Don’t say that. You did great! Fantastic! I can tell you’re gonna be a great runner, real soon.”

“Psh.” She brushed him off. 

“Plus…” his volume dropped, “it’s been a long time since anyone ran with me.”

A sad smile found its way to Akira’s face once more. “Sucks to be those people. That was the best workout I’ve had in memory.” Akira placed her hand over Ryuji’s arm and gave her most encouraging smile.

He blushed once more, and tried to shrug her off. “You’re jut saying that.”

“Just like you’re just saying that I was a great runner.”

“Well, you are!”

“Yeah, well so are you.”

Ryuji’s nostrils flared up as he tried to think of a rebuke.

Akira stuck her tongue out at his silence. Which led to Ryuji laughing out loud loudly enough for the nearby patrons glared at the two of them.

Ryuji sneered at their glares quickly before turning back to Akira. And sighed. “But, really. Thanks.” He looked down. “I… I was happy we took the day to do foundation work… for both stretching and running. I, I really hurt my leg because of Kamoshida, and haven’t been able to run right. So, taking today slow and going over the basics helped me figure out a new way to run that doesn’t irritate my leg so much. So, it was really good.”

“Why then did you want to dive right into a crazy run? If you were just going to hurt your leg that way?” Her eyebrows were furrowed. 

Ryuji refused to meet her eyes, “I felt dumb for not being able to run right. Like a failure, and I didn’t want to look weak in front of you. So… I just wanted to push through the pain and impress you.”

Akira lightly slapped his arm. But for how light the slap was, the fire in her eyes could burn buildings. “Don’t you ever do try to do shit like that again. You’re gonna take your freaking time in getting back to okay. What would happen if you didn’t correct your stance, and you collapsed in pain in the Palace? I can’t be scared that that’s going to happen all the time!”

Ryuji was taken aback by the lecture. “You’re… you’re right. I’m sorry.” He hung his head in shame.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. You didn’t do it, even if you were thinking about it, and that’s what is important. Just don’t push yourself so much that I have to worry about you, alright? I have so much to worry about, you’re one of the few things that I don’t have stress connected to. If anything, you’re the best thing I have to make me feel better. And I would like to keep it that way.” She turned forward blushing, as their meal was coming to them.

Ryuji, meanwhile, was just staring at Akira.  _ I’m… what makes her feel better? _ The more he repeated that line to himself, the higher his smile grew on his face.

Akira snuck a glance over, “You know, I didn’t think that you loved ramen so much that you made doe eyes at it. You know how to make a girl feel inadequate.”

“No no! That’s not it! I was…” he cut himself off from finishing his frantic rambling before he said something even more embarrassing. And, to stop himself from saying anything else, dove into his food.

“You were….. What? It’s not nice to hide things, Ryu.”

“Hmph!” he dissented with his mouth full of noodles. 

“Fine, keep your secrets.” She laughed as she started in on her own bowl.

As she continued to eat and laugh with Ryuji, she felt at peace. The warm feeling in her stomach continued to grow and grow until she felt like she was about to burst. 

Suddenly… there was a snap. She felt Adler come to life within her.

**_A chain has been broken. The Chariot has removed another bond that is keeping us back._ **

_ What. _

**_The closer it is that we get with these “confidants” that the Velvet Room people spoke of… the less weight that drags you down._ **

_ Still not totally getting it. _

**_Do you feel… free? Freer, at least?_ **

_ I do feel, lighter. _

**_That. Something about growing closer with him has loosed the chains that have been dragging me down._ **

_ Do you think you’ll have less chains on you when I summon you? _

**_I would hope._ **

_ That’s really cool. _

**_I humbly request that you continue to reach out to these people. If not just for your sake and for this “rehabilitation” that Igor has requested, then for my sake as well._ **

_ Of course. If you are free, so am I. _

**_I’m glad you understand._ **

_ I am thou _

**_Thou art I._ **

Akira leaned back in her seat as she finished with a content look on her face. 

“Hey, what has you looking so happy? Don’t say it’s the ramen, otherwise I’d have to say that I’m a bad meal companion.” Ryuji looked over at her and teased.

“The food was good, but, it was actually being here with you. You make my soul feel lighter.”

Ryuji’s entire face, all the way down to his neck, blushed once more. “You can’t… you can’t just SAY things like that so effortlessly!”

“Well, I mean it. For real.” She smirked back.

Unaware at how literal she was being, Ryuji dug his head into his arms and moaned as he fished out his wallet to pay. “You’re gonna be the death of me…” he muttered.

“I would imagine there are worse ways to die.” she snapped back.

“Definitely.” he breathed softly enough for her to not hear.

She started to stand up, “Ready to go, Ryu?” She held her hand out to help him up.

He grinned as he grabbed her hand, “Always.”

The two of them walked out, not fully separating their hands and hoping the other didn’t notice yet.

\---

**Ryuji: !!!!!!!!**

**Ann: ?????**

**Ryuji: you’re the best ever**

**Ann: WHAT HAPPENED**

**Ann: ARE YOU DATING**

**Ryuji: Nah.**

**Ryuji: but she held my hand**

**Ryuji: and didn’t let go when she had the chance.**

**Ann: AHHHHHHHHHH**

**\----**

**Akira: tHisss is Morrgganaa**

**Akira: skilkk and joker are dishusting.**

**Akira: likk they just need ot kiss already**

**Ann: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**[messages deleted: Akira]**

**\---**

Laying in bed, Akira numbly was turning through the notes from class today. As much as she knew that she had to understand echolocation for class tomorrow, all she could think about was her time with Ryuji. 

Morgana had jokingly grabbed an ice pack and a towel for her face, “It’s a little red. You sure you don’t need it?”

But, before she could tell Morgana exactly where she wanted to stick that ice pack, her phone buzzed.

**Ryu: Hey**

**Ryu: Today was fun, right?**

**Kira: Yeah :)**

**Ryu: Glad to hear it. :)**

**Ryu: I was nervous that you wouldn’t want to be my work out buddy**

**Kira: ofc I would want to.**

**Kira: like duh**

**Ryu: good to know**

**Ryu: also**

**Ryu: started reading that Pirates book you help me find**

**Ryu: thanks for that again btw**

**Kira: np**

**Kira: how is it?**

**Ryu: you were right**

**Ryu: Cap Kidd is going crazy**

**Ryu: it’s awesome**

**Ryu: also pirates are effing rad**

**Akira: tell me about them?**

**Ryu: did you know…**

Akira fell asleep that night while learning about how they just found his ship just recently in the Dominicans despite looking for it for hundreds of years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. 
> 
> So yeah. Much shorter chapter this time. This is probably going to be about the length to expect from the less story heavy chapters. Like, the ones with only one confidant (like today). 
> 
> But, I liked this. I have committed to Akira/Ryuji and that’s that. But, this was fun and cute to write. 
> 
> Did you know that there really is a school about 1 block from the Aoyama-Ichome station? And that it is right in front of a bunch of parks and the Aoyama Cemetery. Because.. Yes. Also, cherry blossoms in 2016 were 1 week before the game started for Tokyo. I checked.
> 
> And Morgana definitely texted Ann and then deleted the texts afterwards so Akira would never know. Hence the horrid texting.
> 
> I meant for it just to be cute, bad flirting. And instead there was wholesome friendship and respecting each other and support. Because, that’s what wanted to be there. And I based as much of it as I could on my own memories of high school crushes.
> 
> The next chapter will be a longer one. As it will be covering the Palace… but… be aware that I will not be covering like every fight. I will mostly be covering the big things that I feel would be different. So, there might be some time skips. Just to let you know.
> 
> I hope y’all liked this chapter! Please let me know what you thought!


	12. April 20th, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamoshida's Castle Infiltration. Ann finds a good use for Agi. Ryuji sits out of the races. Akira makes a dick joke as a reflex. Morgana gets an extra can of tuna for dinner tonight.

_ Today’s the day. _

Akira sighed as she headed up the stairs of the Shibuya station to her transfer. 

This morning, she had woken up slightly early to double check that all of the prop weapons and guns were ready. After making sure that they had everything they needed for an excursion, Morgana had wrapped it all up and jumped into the Metaverse in his own unique way to stash it all with Zorro in the Sea of Souls.

She had anxiously waited until he returned. It had only taken a few minutes maximum, but she couldn’t stop pacing. She heard Boss call up asking how she was doing, and she had to stop herself before blabbing about what she was doing.

“Morgana just hid one of my year pin and I’m trying to find it!”

“Well, you better find it soon! Breakfast is pretty much done and you’re gonna be late!”

“I’ll be down in a minute!”

Akira sat on her bed, leg bouncing out of control as she fidgeted for the last 30 seconds before Morgana reappeared.

“Everything good?”

“You know it! Zorro has it all taken care of!”

“Perfect!”

Opening her bag for Morgana to leap in, she hopped down the stairs while making her shoes were on all the way. 

“Found your pin?”

“Uh… yep! Morgana here had smushed it under a bag of coffee we didn’t yet bring down.”

“Silly cats.”

Morgana froze in the bag and popped his head out, turning to Akira with disgust. “What did you say I did?”

“I tell you later, Morgana.” she replied with a wink, hoping he understood this was a “Not In Front of Others” conversation. 

He narrowed his eyes in response and turned his lip up. “I expect an answer on the subway.”

She smiled and nodded her head.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that your cat was mad at you.” Boss laughed as placed her breakfast in front of her. 

“He’s smarter than we all give him credit for, that’s for sure.” She winked once more at the cat before digging in.

\---

Rounding the corner to her transfer at Shibuya, she was surprised to see the dazzling yellow of Ryuji ahead of her. 

Grinning to herself, she started to sneak up behind him, doing all she could to stay out of his view until she was right besides him. When she was within reach, she jumped right next to him and slid her arm into his. “Hey there!”

He leapt into the air with a shout. After he was back on the ground, he blinked a few times at her until he was fully cognizant. “Kira! What… why?”

“I just saw you over here and wanted to say hi… and maybe work on my sneaking. I’m glad it’s working.”

Face relaxing back into a small smile, Ryuji patted her arm that was still connected to his. “Well, hello. I… guess you’re ready for today then?”

“Yep!” She fistpumped. 

His grin grew devilish, “Good. I know I’m ready to finally get this shit over with.”

“Ann said that she was free for today when I texted her yesterday, but… I’ll double check with her when I see her in class.”

“She better be. I’m full of energy and just wanna do this already!”

“Agreed! Our workout yesterday really got my blood pumping, and I’m raring to go!” 

The train to Aoyama-Ichome arrived, putting a pause on their conversation. Fate seemed to be kind to them today, there were actually 2 seats open next to each other, so the pair dove towards them. While Akira got herself settled into her seat, Ryuji was scanning the car to make sure that there wasn’t anyone else who needed the seat more. 

Once he was done scanning, he turned to Akira once more, “So, we’re going right after school, right?”

She nodded.

“So… where’s all the stuff? Like, I know that you have all those models and stuff for Ann and I…” he peeked at her bag, and saw it very light.

“Oh, Morgana took care of that. He went to the Palace while I was getting ready and gave everything to Zorro to hold in the Sea of Souls.” she waved off his concerns.

“Dude, for real? That’s awesome!”

“I know! Right!”

A very small and tired voice came from the bag on Akira’s lap, “That’s right! I’m the best!” A yawn followed.

“And there he goes….” Akira giggled. Ryuji looked at her questioningly. “He, falls asleep every single freaking time he’s on here. The rocking just conks him out.”

“That’s… adorable. I mean, he fell asleep when we went to Shibuya before… but… wow.” Ryuji was blinking in disbelief at the bag.

“Yeah, he’ll be out at least until I get to class. Probably longer.”

“Damn.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. 

“So…”

“So…”

The two bite their lips. 

“Go on.”

“So, you were telling me about your Pirate readings, and I fell asleep on you. You learn anything else?”

“Oh! Yeah! It was effin’ awesome! You were right! It was really cool to read about Cap’n Kidd!”

“Did he react at all?”

“Did he? He was filling in all the blanks and I could like feel the electricity running under the surface, it was freaking bomb.”

“Isn’t it awesome! Tell me about it!” Akira leaned in to hear more. 

At the increased contact, Ryuji’s face lit up. He tried not to focus on it too much as he continued his story. But… he wasn’t sure if the electricity he felt was from Cap’n Kidd or Akira.

\---

Despite the anticipation and anxiety felt by Akira, Ryuji, and Ann, school was normal. 

Kamoshida was looming about the school still. This time being brave enough to leave his office, meaning that he had to be feeling confident about something. Thankfully, avoiding him was not too much of a difficulty for the trio, but it did add a little bit of fervor to their plans to enter the Palace today. 

Lunch was a quiet affair. 

They confirmed with one another that this was what they wanted, went over their final plans, and then just tried to focus on the mission ahead of them.

Shortly before the end of lunch, Akira awkwardly cleared her throat. Ann and Morgana looked up from the manga she was showing him. Ryuji looked to his side and put his hand on hers quickly before pulling back. 

“Okay guys, today’s the day. We’re going to go as far as we can. With any hope, we can finish this today. Even our last forays into the Palace affected each of us mentally, and so I would rather not have to have this anticipation ever again associated with that asshole. We now have to sit through the rest of classes, and that’s going to be rough. But, try to calm yourself, try to stay under the radar. I don’t want anyone to somehow figure out that it’s us. I know that no one else can go into the Palace, that we know of, but, I don’t want people to get suspicious of us. If something goes wrong, and he dies, I don’t them to assume we did it. If we do it right, and he changes, I don’t want people to think we coerced him. We… we gotta do our best to stay calm now. Okay? I’ll meet you all in the alleyway after class as soon as we can. The faster we get in, the more we can do before it becomes too late.”

She got that whole speech out before blushing and stuffing the last bite of her food in her mouth.

Morgana stretched before responding, “That was a good speech, fitting from our leader, don’t you think?” he looked around the roof at the others. They both nodded in response. 

“Yeah, totally! We’re gonna take back from that dick what he stole from us!” Ann’s fist was in the air. 

“Hell yeah! We’re gonna break that ego of his!” Ryuji crowed. 

Akira slowly smirked. 

“Well then, my Thieves of Heart, we have a date to steal a heart. See you then.”

The lunch bell rang. 

\---

The second half of the day was agony. 

Akira watched Ann squirm the whole day while trying to keep a straight face. The clock never seemed to go so slowly before. 

Her phone was exploding throughout the day with texts from Ryuji. As he was in a different class, he was alone, and so he was going out of his mind in anticipation. 

Despite all of that, compounded with her own anxieties and trepidation at their next actions, she managed to stay calm on the exterior and take notes and participate as normal.

_ Cannot let anyone know that something is up. _

At long last, the bell rang and they were dismissed.

Knowing that they could stash their school things in the Sea of Souls once they entered the Palace, they did their best to beat the crowds and reach the alleyway without running into any issues. 

Once they were all accounted for, Akira led them slightly further into the alleyway to prevent any accidents with other students before activating the Metanav. 

As the world warped itself around them and began to glow red, the three teens maintained eye contact, faces resolute.

Once the sky had gone fully red, and the clamor from Shujin Academy had died off, the teens finally made their way back towards the Castle. Mona had popped out of the bag and was not hustling ahead to the entrance. 

Once he was in the Palace’s area proper, he summoned Zorro once more. Before them was a cascade of fake weapons and other supplies Joker had felt necessary to include: medicine, snacks, a thermos of coffee, drinks, etc.

Skull and Ann gaped at the small trove in front of them as they approached. 

“You got all of this together?” Skull turned back at Mona and Joker, amazed. 

“Yep! Dr. Takemi upped my dosage for my pain pills and such after I laid it on a little thick at my appointment, Mona and I made all the weapons each night, and I convinced Boss to make me some extra coffee.” Joker espoused proudly.

Skull’s eye narrowed, “You better not be giving up your health for ours. Don’t you  _ dare _ be neglecting your medicine for this.”

Joker’s hands went up in defense, “No, no. Don’t worry! It’s extra. Plus… I’ve been mainly just using the cream….”

Ryuji didn’t let up the glare even an iota.

Mona chose to step in. “So! We need to decide on your codename, don’t we!” 

Ann nodded, “Yeah! So… what do you think?”

“Hmmmm….” Ryuji scratched his chin while turning his focus on Ann.

“Well… what stands out the most to you?” Joker asked her.

“Let me think…” she took the mask off and turned it around to give it a deeper look. “I like this mask. It has cute little cat ears!” she giggled. 

Ann spun around for a moment. “Plus, the tail.”

“So… do you think it should be cat themed?” Joker suggested.

“Yeah! But like… I don’t want something silly or immature. Like, Carmen represents owning the fact that I was sought after sexually… and I don’t want to erase that by giving myself something childish, you know?”

“So, what? Like Minx?” Skull questioned.

“No. That’s too much. I want to focus more on the cat side. I’m not like a homewrecker or something.”

“What about Panther? Like a bigger type of cat? Plus, those are really killer, just like you were with that whip!” Mona bounced.

“Yeah! I like that! Panther!” Panther beamed.

“Perfect! Panther it is!” Joker clapped her hands together. “Remember, don’t use our real names! Only code name from here on out!”

“Aye aye, Captain!” Ryuji leapt up from his squatting position on the ground.

Joker started towards the entrance to the castle when she suddenly froze. 

“Joker…?” 

“What do you guys want?” Joker seemed to listen once more, “Alright, if he insists.”

She turned her head to the side as if listening and then nodded. She walked off to the side of the courtyard that they were in, flinched, and suddenly got a dazed look in her eyes. 

The rest of the team was looking at each other trying to decide who it was that Joker was talking to, but they had absolutely no idea. And, once she had glazed over, they were panicking. 

“Hey, hey, Joker. Joker! Kira?” Skull was patting her arm and checking her pulse. 

“Anybody in there?” Panther was listening for breathing, which seemed to be regular. 

Mona scurried to her front and looked at her face and then turned around and looked at where she was staring.

“Hey, guys…. Calm down.”

“How the hell do you expect me to calm down?”

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on… but I sense it’s okay.”

“Okay…. But can you explain, Mona?” Panther was biting her lip.

“There’s…. Something going on. Like. Metaverse related. I think it’s because of how long I’ve been in this realm to the point of even losing my human form. But, like, this is a Metaverse thing.”

“Do you have any proof?” Skull was starting to calm down, but his voice was still tight.

“Skull, what color are Joker’s eyes usually?”

“Grey. Like gunmetal grey.” Skull replied without a second thought. 

“What color are they now?”

“.... Gold. What the….”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t just, ‘exactly’ this! What the eff is going on?”

“Don’t gold eyes have to do with Shadows and such….?” Panther anxiously butted in.

Skull recoiled back at that. “What?”

“You’re mostly right. Shadows or the Palace leaders always have gold eyes. People in the Real World are hiding their true selves. So, in the Metaverse, they can show their true selves. And, the truest form of themselves is always signified by gold eyes. For example, Kamoshida in here has gold eyes, as the Shadow Kamoshida is the man without anything holding him back.”

“How. Does. That. Relate. To. Joker.” Skull ground out.

“I’m getting to it.” Mona narrowed his eyes for a moment at Skull. “Persona users, like us, are different. I know that you probably didn’t notice this before, but your eyes go gold whenever you summon your Persona.”

“Really?”

“Yep! It’s because when you use a Persona, you have to be in tune with your true self and have to be showing your true self. That’s what makes Persona users special and why there aren’t, like, a million of them. You have to completely know yourself. Know how the world sees you, and know who you truly are underneath all of that.”

“So… like how the world sees me as a skank and as easy and dumb because I’m foreign and blonde and a model…. But I know that those aren’t who I really am?”

“Yeah!”

“Or how I’m loud and everyone sees me as a punk and an idiot. And I know that I’m not bad, just a victim to Kamoshida…?”

“That’s right! And I know that I look like a cat and so I’m treated that way, but I’m really a much higher life form than that, like a human!”

“So… Joker’s dealing with her true self right now….?” the trio turned back to their stationary friend.

“Yeah, I feel… something over there. Like greater beings at work. I, personally, can’t even focus over there, I keep seeing this blue fog blurring something over there, though I don’t know what.”

“Blue… fog?”

“Yeah, it’s weird.” Mona looked down shamefully, “I think it’s something real strong. Who knows? It might be Joker dealing with her multiple Personas before we enter. You know? All of that Persona potential must be a burden to organize, and so I would imagine it she’s really gotta focus, and it’s gonna cause some real soul searching.”

Panther laid down on the ground. “That makes sense. Might as well leave her to it. She’s doing what she can to be at her best, and so I’m good with waiting.”

“I guess.” Skull looked anxiously at the ground, “I’m gonna keep watch over her.”

“What a surprise…” Mona murmured under his breath as he joined Panther on the ground. 

“What’s so funny!” Skull spun around at the duo on the ground, shaking his fist as Panther giggled at Mona’s remark.

“Oh nothing… by the way… how did your date with Joker go?”

The blush that had started to tint his cheeks exploded across his whole face. “Shuddup!”

Skull spun back to his self-appointed watch on Joker when he noticed that her lips were moving.

“What… is she saying?” a pause. “Is she…. Crying?”

“What?” Mona jumped back up.

Skull leaned in to try and hear what she was saying.

“... Caroline…. Why? No… Justine…. I… refuse…. Not Adler. Yes. Agathon and Jack O’Lantern…. Never Adler.”

“What’s going on, Skull?”

“She’s talking to someone. I think… something was trying to take Adler away from her…”

“What? Who could do that?” Panther sat up, fear stricken.

Mona pondered, “Well… it wouldn’t be something normal. It takes a lot to lose a Persona... Oh!” His head shot up, “I think I know! I think she’s trying to fuse Personas!”

The other two made varying sounds of confusion. 

“I’ve… heard rumors about people who could wield multiple Personas… They could fuse multiple Personas together to create newer and stronger ones.”

“Woah! That’s totally cool!” 

“But… why is she sad about it?”

“She’s saying goodbye to parts of her soul, allowing them to be ripped from her in order to create a new corner of her soul. It can involve pain. Especially since whoever it is that is guiding her through this told her to do so using her original Persona. That’s got to hurt.”

Panther flinched at the response to her previous joy. 

Skull looked even more downcast, “Dammit. She’s gotta take on another freaking hardship for us. Of course she freaking does. When can she ever  _ not  _ be the one who puts out her neck to help?” 

“You’re right, Skull, that’s bullshit. But you also know that we can’t stop her. So, let’s be supportive to her. Not make her think about the pain too much if she doesn’t want to. So, let’s not ask her to explain it, let’s just go with it for now. Today’s rough enough as is.” Panther flopped back on the ground afterwards.

Skull kicked a rock, “You’re right. I just…”

“Yeah. Me too.” Mona ended for him.

A gentle silence filled the courtyard as they waited for their leader to rejoin them.

A few minutes later, Joker suddenly snapped to attention and clutched her head with a groan. 

“Joker!” 

“How you feeling?”

“You okay?”

The three who had been waited jumped up to check on in with their friend.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m… fine. That was just… strange.” She started to massage her temples, “Anyways, I got some new Personas to try out. So, that’s cool. Intense. But cool. Add some more variety to our arsenal.”

“As long as it’s not too much, I guess that’s really neat.” Skull awkwardly scratched his head.

“I’ll take any advantage we get to defeat Kamoshida.” She started walking towards the side entrance once more.

“... that wasn’t what I meant.” he grumbled as Panther patted his shoulder in agreement. 

After reaching the entrance, Joker spun around to Mona. “So, I was out of it last time. How do we use this to jump to a new place?”

“Let me do it!” Mona hopped back and forth on each leg in excitement to get things rolling. “You just gotta, focus on the Safe Room, how it’s ours and how that has to be the place this hole goes. They  _ have _ to connect comfortably in your head.”

Joker nodded seriously, “Okay, it’s like that optical illusion we went over in class yesterday. I just have to  _ force _ what I want to be how the world is viewed.” Deep breath in, deep breath out. She closed her eyes and then swing herself up into the window, disappearing into the suddenly appearing fog.

“Woah.” Skull gasped at the sight and then followed her in without too much thought.

“Neat! There was that box covering the lines in the example in class, and so she decided to cover the doorway in the same way.” Panther hit her hand to her palm while nodding before leaping in.

“She really is amazing, isn’t she… I’m glad I ran into her.” Mona thought to himself during his brief moment alone before joining them in the void.

\---

The Thieves swept their way through the halls of Kamoshida’s Palace, hiding wherever they could to startle enemies and eliminate them without drawing too much attention or too much damage. 

As the halls changed from the dark stone of the entrance area to the pristine sparkle of the corridors, easy hiding spaces became more and more sparse. There were no longer shadows for them to hide within, instead forcing them to take to crouching behind boxes or peering around corners. 

After yet another fight where Panther set off the All Out Attack, using her whip to hold the enemies in place while everyone else struck, she stomped to the side of the hall where a bookshelf lay and started to rip the items off of it while growling.

“Woah, woah. What the heck are you doing?” Skull rushed over to Panther, grabbing the volleyball out of her hands. He looked at it, sneered, and dropped it to the ground and kicked it away from him.

“I just… UGH!” Panther threw her hands up in the air.

“You wanna use your words this time, Panther?” Joker asked as she picked up the loot from the last fight.

“This area! It…. It sickens me!” Panther started pulling on her pigtails.

“But… why? It’s so clean and nice!” Mona swayed from side to side as he spoke.

“That’s exactly it!” Panther’s swung out wildly again, “He just… he’s such a fucking skeeve! And yet, here his brain is! He thinks he’s all that and is so great, so, so… so his Palace has these fancy ass hallways!” 

She gestured once more to the bookshelf she had been dismantling. “Like… this! He doesn’t deserve this fancy shit! The sparkles, the shine, the organization. He isn’t any of those things! He’s dark and ugly and a mess. His office in the Real World has zero organization to it. I can’t believe that he somehow thinks he is actually… this!” her arms are now waving across the whole room. 

“It is…  _ really _ opulent…” Mona agreed.

“You’re right. He’s a deluded asshole who thinks his ability to maybe play a sport makes him perfect in all ways.” Skull nodded as he placed his hand on Panther’s shoulder. “But, this shit here? This is exactly why we’re here. He  _ doesn’t _ deserve this. He  _ is  _ out of his mind. So, we’re gonna put that bastard back in his place.”

Panther smiled. “Thanks guys. I just… I needed to get that out. This place has been messing with me. And, well, seeing all of this be such a stark difference from real life was really getting under my skin.”

“Hey, we all need that from time to time.” Joker smiled at her. “It’s good to get it out.”

Panther nodded at her.

“Plus, we can get that frustration out on the Shadows we’ve been fighting!” Mona was excited once more.

“Yep! I’m ready to burn a few more of those bastards alive!” Panther’s eyes started to take a golden hue as she cracked her knuckles and started towards the next hallway.

“Hey! Wait for us!” Mona cried as they ran after her.

\---

Panther seemed to calm down as the architecture and styling of the castle turned back into the darker and more ominous lighting. 

Joker assumed it was because it fit the reality she knew of him better, and so she wasn’t questioning her experiences with the man. She could relate, and so she had just allowed Panther to take care of it in battle whenever she wanted to. 

After another Agi decimated a foe until only wisps remained, the team entered an area surrounded by gates with the exit locked. 

“Dammit! We can’t get out!” Skull yelled back to Joker as they were examining the room. 

Panther and Mona were trying to figure out the gated area in the middle while Joker was trying to figure out a solution. 

“Hey! I think there’s a key in there!” Mona cried after peering into the middle of the room atop Panther’s shoulders.

“Maaannn. So we  _ have _ to get in there.” Panther whined.

Skull had joined the other two by the bars and was trying to find a way to slip inside.

Joker bit her lip. 

_ Didn’t Igor say something about this? _

**_Yes, he did._ **

_ That Third Eye thing, right? _

**_That is correct._ **

_ But… how do I turn that thing on? _

**_You have to bend reality to show you the truth._ **

_ How? _

**_By having me, your Persona, you are able to change the reality of this place, right? You should be a thrall of this place, trapped under the whim of the Ruler. But you aren’t._ **

_ Because of you. _

**_Because of me. I am the Spirit of Rebellion within you. I am your true self. I am able to fight the control of this place through your spirit and refusal to submit to not knowing anymore._ **

_ Okay….. _

**_Expand that. Latch on to that feeling I give you, and_ ** **push**

_ Make the world around me mine? _

**_Just like you do with the Shadows you make into Personas. Just like you connect Safe Rooms. Expand your rebellion. See the truth. Refuse to stand for things being hidden from you._ **

_ Here goes. _

Drawing deep within herself, Joker took a deep breath and plunged. She felt herself awash in her rebellious spirit. She felt Adler as if she were standing right next to her. Grabbing onto Adler in this personal space, Joker pushed  _ out _ , forcing this space to take more space than just her body. 

Immediately, a rush of energy flew up her spine. Her hair stood on end as her eyes widened. 

_ I can see everything. _

**_Good job, dear. You’ve got it now._ **

The Palace, and all of its cognitive bullshit dimmed and darkened, no longer important to her in the moment. Electric highlights dazzled her non dimmed view as certain handles were glowing.

_ Is that…? _

**_The truth to get out of here, yes._ **

_ Wicked. _

She looked around the room once more, grinning maniacally. She could see everything she needed to do to open the gates. 

As her eyes wandered, there were towers of light in her view. Tarot cards flew overhead the painfully bright figures of her friends. 

_ What is… this? _

**_Your friends are the most true thing in here._ **

_ And the cards? _

**_Their true nature and Arcana and purpose in your life._ **

_ Oh. Wow. This thing doesn’t mess around…. _

**_Anything coming from the Velvet Room usually isn’t in the business of messing around when it comes to work matters._ **

  
“Uh… Joker… why are your eyes gold?” Skull was rapidly approaching Joker, worry lines across his face.

“Hm?” Her concentration was broken. Startled, she took a step back, world saturating itself back to normal levels. 

“And… they went back to normal…?”

“I… Adler was helping me with something. She… she showed me the way to open the door.”

“For real?” It was Skull’s turn to take a step back in shock. 

“Woah! You’re saying that your Persona’s given you extra abilities?” Mona bounded over, tail twitching. 

“So… what did she show you?” Panther walked up slowly, keeping her distance.

“Give me a moment. Don’t be alarmed.” Joker froze once more and concentrated. Her eyes glowed once more. Skull took in a deep breath watching her look around the room and then walk towards the creepy chains surrounding the bars. She looked at the ground and then up at the chains a few times before nodding to herself. Grasping the chain she was closest to, she yanked down. Unlike the other chains, this one moved. 

There was a clicking sound echoing around them. 

“I think that one unlocks them…” Joker muttered to herself as she looked at the ground and followed unseen steps to the other chain to pull. “And… this one opens them…” She gave the second chain a pull. 

Just as she had said, there was another clicking noise as the bars surrounding the center of the room suddenly raised up into the ceiling.

“Nice job, Joker!” Panther fist pumped as she entered the new part of the room and snatched the key. “Now we can keep going!”

“Wait!” Mona yelled at the team who had started towards the exit. “Look at this! I think it’s a map!”

“What? Why would there be a map?” Skull strode over to Mona and leaned over the table that the map was laying on. “Well, I’ll be. That’s an effin’ map of this floor of the Palace.”

“Really? Good to know the dickhead has some level of compartmentalization.” Joker threw her arm around Skull’s shoulders as she looked at the map as well. “Hmmm… It doesn’t seem to be a full map. The stairs here,” she pointed, “don’t seem to connect with anywhere.”

“That must be where the treasure is. We’re still in the outer realms of the Palace, and the Treasure is always in the Inner Sanctum.” Mona chimed in. “Like, this area houses the parts of Kamoshida that he shares with the world: how he’s great and fancy with the opulence, how he’s the captor to the Volleyball team, stuff like that. The real part of his psyche must be past what this map shares.”

“I hate this place.” Panther whined from behind them all. 

“A-freaking-greed.” Skull moaned as they started towards the exit at last. 

\---

Joker stopped for a moment while jumping across the chandeliers in the Central Hall and let herself sit down on the edge for a moment. 

“What’s up, Joker?” Panther stood next to her.

“Nothing much. Just… this is fucking rad. This whole Palace is a shitshow, but… jumping across chandeliers in a castle overlooking the main hall? That’s… I feel like a little kid in a candy store.”

Panther let a breath out and then grinned. “You’re right. This is unbelievable. This whole situation is. But, like, this? This is the good type of unbelievable.”

“Yeah, so I just wanna soak this in.”

Panther smirked as she looked back at the back of Joker’s head, “You wanna see how fast we can jump across these? I mean, we already got rid of all of the Shadows that were lurking around here… so… I think we can have a few minutes. We need to let out some steam anyways.”

Joker’s face matched Panther’s. “I think we can do that.”

\---

Skull had sat out of the chandelier competition, as he didn’t want to land on his leg wrong, and so was more than happy to judge who had the best technique. 

Well, he was until he got jumped by a Shadow. 

At his strangled cry and instinctual firing of Zio, the rest of the Thieves scrambled back across the room over to him. 

“Skull!” Joker flies over the last gap while summoning Pixie to the forefront, healing Skull with Dia. 

While she was helping him back up, Panther dove overhead casting Agi with Carmen on the Silky while Mona shot with his slingshot from the last platform. Using the momentum created by the staggering of Silky, the Thieves jumped into the All Out Attack to end the Shadow. 

As the wisps of the sudden attacker dissipated, the Thieves all slipped to the ground, exhausted. 

“You okay?” Joker looked over at the team laying around her. 

“Yeah.”

“I’m alright.”

“I’ll be good.”

“Okay. I really hope we can find another Safe Room soon. Because that was killer. But… we can’t stay here. Not if Shadows are gonna try and sneak up on us.”

With a final groan, Joker forced herself to an upright position and started towards the door to the next hallway. 

“So, guys, let’s see what’s behind Door #2.” 

The whole team was tense as the door slowly opened. Mona could sense a few Shadows further down the way, but there were none in the immediate vicinity. 

There was however….

“Hey! I think this is a Safe Room!” Mona’s tail was twitching just slightly at the end.

“That’s awesome! Thanks, Mona.” Joker smiled down at the feline companion. “Okay, team, let’s get in there and take a well deserved break.”

The stress from that last fight slipped away as they entered their new haven.

The moment the door was closed, the group slumped to the ground against the different walls. Mona lept up onto the table in the middle of the room and curled up, allowing himself a quick catnap.

\---

Joker winced as she pressed her fingers up to her neck.  _ I have to have missed my scheduled time to reapply.  _ She snapped her fingers to get the ointment from Adler and then froze.

_ They’re gonna see…. _

**_They are your best friends and compatriots._ **

Joker sighed.  _ You’re right.  _

She took a final breath to steel herself, and then unbuttoned her red coat and rolled down her turtleneck. The cool air elicited a gasp as it hit her neck.

After waiting a moment for her neck to cool down, and perhaps dry off, after their trek so far, she started to liberally coat her neck in the ointment. Instantaneously, Joker felt relief. There had been a constriction of her neck that she hadn’t even noticed, so the ability to suddenly breathe without struggle was alarming. 

Snapping her fingers once more, she took a long drink of water from a bottle to stave off the coughing that she could feel building up. 

_ All that’s left to do now is wait for it to be soaked into my skin. And then we can get going. _

She looked at her teammates.

_ I hope they don’t judge me for this.  _

She bit her lip and looked over at Skull. 

_ I hope  _ **_he_ ** _ doesn’t think less of me anymore. _

\---

He didn’t want to worry Joker, but he was really glad for this Safe Room. 

Sure, they all were. But, if he was to be honest, he wasn’t sure how much further he would have been able to go. 

He may have figured out that new stride yesterday (and thank goodness for that), but you can’t run a marathon with only a single day of training. So, he definitely needed a break to stretch and regroup. 

He allowed himself to slide down the wall at first though. Stretch could come after catching his breath and recovering from that surprise attack. 

Also, Motrin. 

He looked over and watched Joker snap her fingers to call forth her medicine, and did his best to imitate. 

And failed.

**_Don’t just snap your damn fingers. You gotta think about what you want? What do you think I am, a mind reader?_ **

_ Um. You’re in my mind. _

**_Shut up, lackey._ **

_ The medicine? _

**_Take it, asshole._ **

_ Thanks, Cap. _

Motrin finally in hand, he leaned back into the wall as he popped the cap open. After taking the medicine, he got to work massaging his aching leg. Fucking piece of shit leg. There was a really bad knot right there on his thigh, maybe if he added pressure from this angle he could… perfect. 

Sighing, he gave himself a moment before trying to work out the pain in his other leg. With his one leg out of commission, the other leg was doing twice the work and was in just as much pain for it. 

Closing his eyes at the pressure, he counted to 10 while shoving his thumb into the worst of the muscle pain. Relief shuddered through him as he let go, the tension from before leaving him as well. 

_ Okay, now that that’s been taken care of, gotta do some stretches to make sure I’m alright. _

He started to get up as he looked over at Joker again. 

She was looking around anxiously before her hand slipped up to her neck.

_Oh shit, she’s gonna uncover her neck. Should I not look? Or is this her trusting us? She seemed fine with_ me _seeing her neck, but not others yesterday… I_ am _curious…._

He decided to start his stretches by doing toe reaches on the ground. Somewhat because he didn’t want to stand up yet, but mostly because he wanted to not call attention to how he was watching Joker. 

As he leaned over his bad leg to reach for his toes, he tried to subtley look up at her from across the room as she rolled down her turtleneck. 

He immediately froze. 

He never really realized just how large Kamoshida’s hands were. 

But when the swelling and bruising on her neck went nearly all the way up to her chin, there was no mistaking that fact. The fingers splayed all the way around her small neck, mottling the skin with an array of dark browns and reds that looked like dried blood. 

He watched her lather the medicine from her doctor onto her neck, and how the tension in her face fell the moment she applied that creme to her neck. Until she started to cough and then downed a ton of the water that he had insisted she pack just in case this exact thing happened. 

_ She lied about how her healing has been going _

Without thinking, he got up from his stretches and headed over to her. Once she noticed his approach, she started to wince. 

_ Is she… afraid of me? _

He skipped a step.

_ She’s afraid of me judging her for this. _

Another faltered step.

_ How could I? When this is my fault? _

He crouched in front of her, making sure he was eye lever. There was still fear in her eyes. 

Reaching out his had to grab hers. “Hey. You’re great. You know that?”

She blinked in response. 

“I don’t know how you manage to get through this….” he carefully used his other hand to look at her neck. 

The air caught in his throat.

Littered across the bruised tissue were crescent moons, leaving shining pink marks on top of the already marred skin. 

“How… could I leave you there? Kir...”

Joker cut him off, “I told you to go. It was the best option.”

“No, it wasn’t. This pain wasn’t worth that.”

“Better me than you.”

Skull yanked Joker in a hug. “Please don’t say that. You don’t deserve this. And, if anything, I’ve been beating myself up every day about how I left you to this. I hate this so much.”

“Don’t. Please. You did nothing wrong.” She was leaning into the hug now. 

“I did. I left you alone with him, when that was the one thing I promised to you when we met. Hell, that was the first thing I really ever said to you. And, I failed you. And…”

“You didn’t fail me.”

“Kir---” she cleared her throat before he could finish her name. “Sorry. Joker. I just. I feel like I did. I know you see it differently, but I feel this way, and probably will for a bit now. And… especially now that I see what he did to you. I just…” He pulled away from her and had his head in his hands, trying not to cry. 

This time it was Joker’s turn to hug Skull. “Hey. I get it. I… I still blame myself for Shiho. Completely. Even though I know it wasn’t my fault. It’ll take time for the heart to catch up with the brain. Take your time. But know that I don’t blame you at all.”

Skull wrapped his arms around Joker and squeezed as hard as he could.

_ Thank you.  _ Was left unspoken between the two of them.

\---

Panther wanted to scream at rebellion version of her for putting heels on her fucking outfit. 

Her poor calves!

She slid down the wall away from the others to try and recoup. The other two humans of the team were both athletic, which led her to suffer behind them. 

She refused to let them know it, there was too much at stake for them to put her weakness to the forefront. 

It’s bad enough that they had to rescue her from the Shadow Kamoshida….

A shudder shot up her spine at the very thought of the Shadow. Besides the fact that it was like all of the worst things about the man were rolled into one thing, he had kidnapped her and gotten all up in her face and had tried to tear her down. If it weren’t for Joker and Skull…

She popped her head up to look at the other two humans and winced once more. Skull was massaging his leg with a worried furrow.  _ I can’t believe I abandoned him when the shithead did that. _

He had been a good friend growing up, and she had just thrown their friendship to the curb because of bad rumors. She  _ knew _ him. Why did she leave him alone? To save herself?  _ That was about the time that I sold myself off to Kamoshida anyways… for Shiho… _

And, to think, all of her sacrifices for Shiho were just hurting everyone else. Until now. Until she finally said no. She was finally going to get back at that man for destroying the lives of everyone she held dear. Hell, even her newest friend was ruined by him. 

With that thought, she swung her head over to Joker and grimaced. 

_ That looks… horrible. _

Her skin was an array of handprints, inflamed and crying for help.  _ How the hell did she get this far in the castle without showing any weakness? _

Panther was staring in shock until Joker’s eyes met hers in the briefest of moments while Joker was scanning the room. 

Joker’s eyes kept scanning the room, but Panther involuntarily flinched back at the eye contact. 

She knows that Joker is good. Joker is her friend. Joker is on her side. Everyone’s eyes turn gold when they summon or talk to their Persona. 

But…

Watching Joker’s eyes change color while she was looking for the answer to that puzzle, she kept having Shadow Kamoshida’s face overlaid. 

That intense expression of Joker as she was doing some soul searching twisted itself into the lecherous glare of Kamoshida, breathing down on her as she was tied to that cross. 

A quiet whimper escaped Panther’s lips as his face once again came to the forefront of her mind. She hadn’t been able to look Joker in the eye really since, and she was getting real tired of it. 

_ This shit better resolve itself after we trounce the Shadow here. _

_ I can’t let my problems mess with this mission. Not only will this get Kamoshida out of my life, but it will safe everyone at Shujin from him. Plus… I have to do this for Shiho. I can’t let my weakness mess with that.  _

Slapping her face to get herself back in the game, she made herself look back over at Joker to try and normalize this once more. 

Only to see Joker and Skull hugging each other on the ground, crying. 

_ Fuck.  _

_ I really can’t let them down. We all have so much at stake. This is so much bigger than me. _

\---

Once Joker and Skull were done crying (which Panther swore to not to even react to until after they had finished here for today), Joker slowly got up and woke up Mona.

“Hey, I think we need to keep going. Don’t want to run out of time for today.”

Mona did a full body stretch as he came to. “Alrighty! Let’s get back to it then!” He jumped off the table. “Man, that nap was exactly what I needed. Every one else have a good break.”

He decided to take their silence as agreement.

\---

Stepping out of the safe room, the hairs on the back of Panther’s neck stood up. 

At her gasp, Joker turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I… don’t know. There’s… something wrong though. I think we’re going to be slipping into the parts of him that are… less digested by the public.”

“What… makes you say that?” Skull replied.

“Just… a very uneasy feeling of recognition.” she paused to think of the right words. “This gives me the same vibe as his office. When the camera is off.”

“Oh…” Skull sucked in a deep breath and put a hand on Panther’s shoulder, “Remember. We’re here for you. We’re gonna get through this.”

Joker nodded silently and stepped forward down the corridor they were now in, grabbing Skull’s hand as she walked. She squeezed it the breath caught in Skull’s throat at the memory of the office.

Panther blinked a few times at the action, but chalked it up to their Safe Room talk and decided to question it later. Mona went to open his mouth to ask when Panther whipped her tail at his head and quietly put a finger up to her lips while mouthing  _ ~later~  _ at him. His tail whipped around while he grumbled with his ears flat against his head, but he kept quiet as the two of them followed the pair. 

Sneaking past a few groups of Shadows, the team came to a doorway to a room. The Thieves slipped in just as Mona sensed another patrol coming around the corner. 

Seeing the new room was just a small library gave them a moment of calm. There was another door on the other side of the room, but there were no enemies that they could see.

“Wonder what’s so important to Kamoshida that he keeps a library to it.” Mona absentmindedly questioned out loud.

Panther was looking at some of the book choices along the nearest wall. “They seem to be all of the students at Shujin. The male ones at least. Must be how he organizes us all, by books filled with his opinions and memories….” She was pulling out random ones for classmates and peering in them. “He… uh… has a low opinion of the guys.”

“I coulda told you that.” Skull sneered as he kicked at the ground, far away from the books. 

Joker spotted a book on the table in front of the shelf.

“I don’t like this.” 

“What is it?” Mona was bouncing with curiosity.

Joker held the book so the rest of the team could see the cover, “The Slave Book.”

Watching Skull’s face fall was enough of a story to Joker, but she had to know. She flipped the book open to find a Table of Contents. Scrolling down the list, she saw what she had feared, both Ryuji Sakamoto and Yuuki Mishima were listed. Next to their names the Dewey Decimal System numbers attached to their books.

Grimacing, she set the book back down on the table and headed over to the shelf that held the book titled, “Sakamoto, Ryuji - The Ape.” She bit her lip as she tentatively reached for the book and opened it. 

She couldn’t hold back a gasp as it delved into Kamoshida’s view of Skull and everything he did to tear down his reputation.

Skull had decided to follow Joker once he saw her walking with such a determined stance. He stumbled for a moment when he got a glimpse of the book that he was seeking out. “What is that?”

She tore her eyes away from the book in her hands and looked at him. “That book on the table, it’s… kinda like a Table of Contents for all the books in the room. And… this one is the book about you.” Her voice faltered.

He blinked a few times at that. 

Panther decided to take advantage of the silence. “What sort of things are in the book, like is it just about him, or is it more than that?” Her gaze was steely.

Joker bit her lip once more before answering. “It… it goes into everything he thinks about him. All of his memories about him. Everything he did to Skull and all of his reasoning behind it.”

Panther gasped. Skull was still silent, but his face was contorting. 

Panther and Mona looked at the two, and could tell this was something the two of them needed to stay out of. Panther looked back at the Slave Book in the middle. “We’re gonna look up Mishima’s book and see what it is Kamoshida’s been forcing him to do, okay? Y’all take care of that book.”

Skull and Joker nodded without looking at her. She threw her hands up and sighed as she got to finding and reading Mishima’s book. Mona gave her a confused look, so she crouched down next to him, “Hey, we gotta leave them to it. Skull has to deal with what the book says, and Joker is too invested in Skull to not need to know. Let’s try to actually find intel on what the creep has done to others while they deal with it.” At that explanation, Mona nodded and leapt on the table, ready to help. 

With the other two teammates out of the picture, Skull and Joker had no choice but to actually deal with the Ryuji book. 

“So, what kinda shit does it say about me? That I’m stupid? Barbaric? A complete and utter mess up?” Skull was nearly growling towards the end. 

“No.”

His head snapped up, “What does it say?”

“Kamoshida…. He could see how driven and passionate you were. And hated it. Knew that, if he left things as they were, you would have been a somebody. Probably even an Olympic Track Star. But that would make him less special to Shujin. So, he removed you.”

“What!”

She gulped. “Yeah. Could tell that he wouldn’t be able to stop you unless by force. Which is why he decided to find a way to break you leg. Knew that you were friendly enough, and saw that you looked out for others, so he decided that he had to crush you socially.” Her eyes were glistening, “He did everything he could to tear you down, because he could see you potential.”

“That… that can’t be true! That… that doesn’t make sense!”

“He… he also knew that you would be the first to notice him hurting or…” she spared a glance at Panther, “ _ taking advantage _ … of students, so he wanted to make sure all ties to sports were destroyed.”

She dropped her head. “It kinda makes sense.”

“How?”

“You were the only one who saw that the Volleyball kids were hurting? The only one who told me to stay away from Kamoshida, who noticed Panther seemed sad. Even if no one else believed you, you wanted to look for proof to help anyways. So, he made sure no one would believe you.”

Skull started to blush a bit, despite the situation, at Joker’s words about him. 

“I mean, I just did what was right.”

“But no one else did. That makes it special.”

He shook his head. “Anyways… how… how did he find out about my parents?”

She flipped through a few more pages. “He was searching for anything to be dirt on you, like he did with Mishima’s sexuality (which is still fucking stupid), and so he put on his ‘nice person’ face and asked the other coaches and teachers about you, and listened in on whenever you were talked about. And, well, eventually he overheard one of the school counselors talking to the Track Captain about you. And, well, how impressed they were about you and your drive, how you were giving Track your all to help support your mother after your father was arrested.”

Skull’s face was torn. He was grateful to hear all of these people who were in his life who thought positively of him, but pained to hear how Kamoshida twisted them all away from him.

“So, he looked up your father, found out what he did. And started rumors about you….” She frowned, “Anytime that you were overexcited or loud, he would quietly comment to someone under his breath how you were acting like your father.”

His hands had curled up into fists. He looked up from the ground at Joker, eyes glistening, “What else did he do? How did he get to be in charge of the team?”

“He… poisoned your coach. First purposefully gave him food poisoning a few times and promised to cover for your coach when he’d get sick during lunch. And then, after he was seen as the obvious sub for coaching you, snuck some shrimp into a meal. And then held him up from getting his pen.”

Skull gasped, “That’s why… he had to go to the hospital. Instead of using his epipen? Are you shitting me?” Electricty was starting to ripple around Skull. 

Joker rushed to get his attention. “Hey, hey, hey! That’s why we’re here! To bring all of this to light for everyone else to see. He’s gonna get what’s coming to him. Don’t you worry.”

He took a deep breath, the crackling started to calm down, “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Like, who the hell poisons a teacher just to get at a dweeby ass kid? I was just a brat who liked to run, and who wanted to help his ma? Why... ? Why… me?” He slowly started to crumple inward. As his knees got close to touching the ground, Joker threw the book aside and crouched down to hug him.

“Hey.” nothing. “Hey. Look at me.” tears fell as he looked up. “What Kamoshida did was fucked up. End of story.” she paused before continuing. “You are absolutely right, he shouldn’t have gone after you. He’s an internationally famous adult, and yet he had a crisis over a freaking first year being really good at running and somehow thought you’d take away his global fame through following your passion. So, he destroyed your passion. Permanently. And, shit, that’s so pathetic. On him.”

He started to look up at Joker.

“You were a little dweeb who wanted to do well in school and be good at running to help your mom out after a shitty situation. That’s, honestly, really admirable. And it’s beyond inexcusable that he decided to throw that into jeopardy because he didn’t want anyone else at Shujin to ever be good at sports again. That he wanted to destroy your reputation, your reputation for being a nice, if slightly loud, kid who looked out for the small kid. And he did it because he planned on doing disgusting things, and knew, since you looked out for the weak ones, you’d see him hurt people. So, he wanted you to be disregarded. He destroyed you before you had a chance, because he wanted to hurt Ann without you being able to stop him.”

She paused once more.

“Don’t you see? He had to tear you down so much because he knew you were the one thing in his way? He always knew you would be the one person to see through his bullshit.”

His head snapped all the way up. “Holy shit.” he breathed. “You’re right.”

She waited to see if he was going to say anything else.

Instead of continuing, he instead pulled himself out of her arms and jumped back up, the sudden movement startling the rest of the team.

“You’re absolutely right, Joker! He chose us as his targets because he knew we’d be the only ones who could fight him. So, it’s time for us to freaking get on with it and fight him! We gotta teach this shitty adult that he was absolutely right to fear us. That he had to start shit about us and lie about us and hold us against our wills, because we sure as hell were the only ones to see through him and refuse to fit!”

Panther and Mona had joined them, Skull’s peptalk was infectious.

“Hell yeah! It’s like Mona told us. We have Personas because of our rebellious spirit! That same spirit that lets us be here is the same spirit that makes it so we can’t be affected by the sway of that jerk. Or any other bastard like him! He had to freaking snap your leg, and trap me in order to keep us in line, while the rest of the school just fell under his thrall. And, hell, he had to leak the news about Joker after just  _ hearing _ about her! There’s a reason we’re the only students who don’t like him!” Panther was fired up.

“That’s exactly it!” Mona was cheering her on from her shoulder. 

“So… let’s get this bastard.” Joker smirked as she turned back towards the locked door. 

Not wanting to lose the momentum that they had from Skull’s sudden peptalk, she tried to scan the room as quickly as possible to find the trick to opening the next door. As her eyes scanned the book shelves, she saw a very wide opening in one of them.  _ Wait.  _

“What you thinking about, Joker?” Panther asked as she slid the book on Mishima back onto the shelf. 

“Well, there has to be some mechanism to open the door here… and I’m just wondering…” she looked at the shelf again, “The last puzzle we had was completely nonsensical… like something out of a game or a movie, you know? So, if we follow that logic… maybe this is like one of those bookcase puzzles from movies?”

Mona hustled over from his spot with Panther. “Actually, yeah!”

“For real?” Skull had to quickly interject.

“Yeah. So, we’re in someone else’s psyche. Like, we’re in their mind. If they think that bookcase puzzles are real and legitimate and think they’re neat, there’s no reason why puzzles in their head hiding information away wouldn’t be hidden by them. Kamoshida makes the rules of reality, and he has decided that all of the stereotypical castle puzzles and hidden secrets are in.”

“Ugh. So, you’re telling me that there’s a good chance that he’s hiding something back here? Just like he was hiding his mental layout behind the other puzzle.” Panther’s lip was curled.

“I guess we’re just going to have to find out. I’d rather not, but I’m gonna guess we’ll have to pass all of his secrets to get to his innermost treasure.” Joker’s blanched.

“Well, here’s to moving onward.” Skull sighed as he swept up the Slave Book and slammed it into the bookshelf. There was a clicking noise, and after a tense moment to make sure nothing appeared, the group sighed and tried the door once more. 

This time, it swung open, leading the group to another library. This one was slightly bigger, and seemed to have some chairs and a couch in it. There was another book laying in the center of the room on a table. 

Skull, feeling empowered by the previous room, decided to lead the charge in approaching this new book. 

However, once he approached, his step faltered. 

“What is it?” Joker asked.

He just held the book up. 

The Queen Book. 

A shiver ran down both of the girls’ spines.

Joker blinked a few more times as she started to come up with a pretty good idea of what this room held. 

Her breath caught. She couldn’t breathe.

\---

Panther, meanwhile, was enraged. She stomped over to the walls of the room and had her rage confirmed. All of the girls at Shujin were on the wall. Hell, she even saw the names of teachers. She paused for a moment seeing the book, “Kawakami, Sadayo - Maid.” She ripped it out and started reading while a growl emanated from her throat. 

Skull had tossed the Queen Book down after looking for where the “Kurusu, Akira - Whore” book would be and was stomping over to it as Panther’s worst fears were confirmed. 

Every single one of these books in this room had every fantasy, every lurid thought, every time he had checked out, every action against them, every time he had thought of them while getting off.

It was… painful. Panther took a deep breath before looking over her shoulder to the Queen Book. 

She had to find out what he had said about her. 

\---

Joker had yet to move. 

Yet to breathe. 

How could she? Knowing this was a room full of every sinful and horrid thought he had ever had about a girl? 

She looked over to Skull to see him hoisting a book off of the shelf with her name on it. 

Every horrid thought the man had ever had about  _ her. _

She started to fall inward until a sudden thought hit her. 

_ Ryuji’s gonna know what happened to you if he reads that. He’s going to be mad at you for not fighting back. For being weak. _

She gasped. That thought was enough to push her to action. 

“What….” she managed to get out. “What does that book say about me?”

Skull’s face was very flat, “It’s about you.”

“I… I figured that out from the title, what does it say, though?”

“Same sort of the things mine said about me. It… explains why he leaked your record, and what he wants to do to you, and what he... “ He choked back sob. “What he did to you.”

Joker was once more frozen in place. Not Joker. Akira. Akira was frozen. She could see from Ryuji’s face that he had gotten to what happened. 

What…. Happened…

\---

Skull had gotten to the point where Akira’s guardian and Kawakami-sensei had shown up with his hands strained white from gripping when he noticed Joker was not responding. He looked up to find her curled up on the couch, staring in the void, gaping for air. 

“Shit!”

The book clattered to the ground as Skull knelt in front of Joker. 

“Joker, Joker!”

Gasping.

He tried to grab her arms, only to have her start crying and moaning to get away. 

His hands recoiled away as if burned. “Dammit.”

“What’s going on?” Mona’s tail was completely down as he wringed his hands.

“I think she’s having a flashback.” He bit his lip. “How’s Panther?”

Mona looked over his shoulder at the girl in question, “Not good at all.” 

Panther was slumped into her chair, shaking. She was unable to take her eyes off of the book in front of her with her name on it, but she was scratching her arms nonstop.

“Hey, Mona. Look at me.” Mona swiveled back around towards him, “You gotta help her. I know you’re not a cat, but… being a cat might help her calm down. You know, purring and shit. At least so she stops scratching…” he sighed, “I’m worried about her hurting herself. So, please take care of Panther.”

Mona nodded seriously. “But… what about her?” he gestured towards Joker.

“I know how to help with these.” he gave a soft smile, “helped my mom a lot with these. I just gotta figure out what tactic works best for her. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“I’m trusting you.”

“Thanks.”

The two guys nodded at each other and turned to their prospective female teammate. Mona plodded off to Panther and jumped up into the arm of the chair and curled his way into her lap. 

Ryuji smiled at that and then turned back to Joker.  _ Shit. What do I do? _

“Hey, Joker.” He looked around to make sure no one else would call him out on anything, “Kira. Please. I’m here. You’re with me. He’s not here. You’re okay.”

She blinked a few extra times. 

“Okay, okay. This is working. Just listen to my voice. Okay, workout buddy? Okay, best friend? I’m here.”

He could see her trying to swallow. 

“Sweet, you’re really here. I promise. So, I’m gonna guide you through some things that might help you, okay? Just try your best. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work, just try with me. I have a  _ whole list _ of things that can help, and we’ll work down it until something works. Promise. So, first I want you to try and notice something you can smell.”

He paused for a moment while he watched her nose twitch and then her face contort in confusion.

“See, you’re not where you think you are. Your brain transported you to an old memory, but you’re actually with me. It’s okay. It happens. To try and get you out of the memory, I’m gonna keep trying to get you to focus on your surroundings like this.”

She nodded.

“Good. Focus on two things you can hear. One of them can be me.”

Her brows furrowed more as she looked around. 

“You don’t know where that fireplace sound is coming from, or my voice, right? You can’t see it. But that’s okay, just more proof your brain isn’t showing you where you really are. So, now, let’s have you focus on what you can feel. What’s really under your hands or in the air around you.”

She blinked a few more times in response. This time her hands were moving around and really feeling the sofa that she was curled up on. Her hyperventilating started to slow as she started to slowly come out of the flashback. 

“You with me again?” Skull gave a trademark wink and grin.

“Yeah.” She coughed a few times.

Skull grabbed some Gatorade from the Sea of Souls.

“Did you know I fucking hate Kamoshida?” she sighed.

“Same here. I can’t... I can’t believe what he did to you. To Panther. To me. And that no one else even noticed.”

“That’s… that’s why we’re going to end his bullshit.”

“You’re right. You’re always right, Joker. You… you have to be right.”

“Hey, Skull.” She was completely back with him now. “You’re supposed to be my happy and passionate and loud and cocksure compatriot. Right now, not so much.” She leaned forward and hit his shoulder.

The action brought a small grin to Skull’s face. Though it swiftly fell again.

“What’s wrong, Skull?”

“I read everything. That he thought, that he had done, that he was planning to do to you. I just. I’m sorry.”

Her face fell. “Why? Why are you sorry?”  _ This is it. He’s gonna say he can’t be on this team anymore because the leader is too fucking weak. _

“Because I left you. I promised you I would never leave you alone with him, and I did. And it hurt you. And…”

_ He… blames himself? But… why? _

“Why? I… I told you to leave. Mishima needed help. You both needed to get out of there. It was the best option.”

His hands were once again fists. “No. No. You cannot really tell me that that was the best option!” His eyes were staring right into her, furious. “I  _ abandoned _ you! You cannot tell me that that was the best choice!” He was starting to yell towards the end. 

He took a deep breath. “Shit. I’m sorry. I just… I failed you. I know you might not think that I did. But… in my mind, I failed you. You depended on me to watch your back, and I instead knowingly left you in a dangerous position.”

“Why did you leave me there then?”

“I… I was hoping you had something hidden up your sleeve. Were going to use some of your fancy gymnastics to slip away from him. That Adler had given you a battle plan. That your Curse abilities in the real world would, like, mess with him or something. I don’t know. I was just praying you had something. You’re so smart and quick on your feet. So…” He hung his head.

Joker bit her lip. “I’m… I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you two were safe. I couldn’t let you guys get expelled or in trouble. So, well, I did whatever it took to get you guys off the hook.”

“Kira,” a glare, “Joker. Sorry. Joker. Why on earth do you think that us getting away safe was worth you going through  _ that _ ?”

Joker refused to make eye contact. 

Skull sighed, “Okay. I’ll drop it right now. Because we have a lot we need to do. But… we will talk about later, okay? Because I can see that there’s some really deep stuff that’s messing with you.”

A nod was all he got in response.

“Well, shit, let’s put this shit away and then get to putting that damned book in place to open the next friggin door.”

He got up from his squat in front of Joker and held his hand out to her. She gave a soft smile as she allowed him to hoist her up. 

She allowed Skull to walk past her and grab the Queen Book to solve the puzzle without her. Instead, she turned around to check up on Panther and Mona. 

As she turned away, she murmured, “If no one else can get hurt, then everything is worth it.” Skull’s grip on the book tightened, his ears straining to hear it. He sighed and continued to walk, adding it to his tally to talk about later.

Mona was curled up in Panther’s lap in a ball, purring as calmly as he could. Impressive, seeing how worried and nervous his eyes were. Panther, however, was not in her best state. She was better than how Skull had seen her before, but her eyes were still slightly glazed over, even as she continued to read the book in front of her. 

She slowly lowered the book as Joker approached. There were streams of tears running down her face. 

“Panther…”

“I… I told myself not another tear of mine was going to fall because of that bastard. But… here I am. Crying my eyes out. Fucking a.”

“You’re allowed to mourn what he took.”

“I know… It’s just… I thought after Shiho that I would be unable to cry ever again.” Panther sighed. “I’m also shaking with anger, don’t you get me wrong. But… I’m trying my best to reign it in.”

“Why’s that? Anger is good for you.”

“Yeah, but fire keeps sparking while I’m in this world. And, well, don’t wanna burn the library down.” She paused. “Well. I do. But Mona says I can’t.”

“Why’s that, Mona?”

The cat looked up from his spot on Panther’s lap. “Well, you see. These books are how Kamoshida has chosen to organize all of his memories. And, well, if we destroy one, there’s a good chance that he’ll forget something. And, I’d be all for him forgetting. But, he can’t testify after we’ve changed his heart if he can’t remember.”

Joker could feel her teeth grinding. “Dammit.”

“Exactly.” Panther flopped her arms down. “So, I’m just trying to not burst into flames.”

“So, why are you looking at your own book then?” Joker cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Because if I don’t, I’ll look for Shiho’s and then the whole castle will be ash.” She replied with a deadpan.

“Good point.” Joker quickly said. “Anyways, I think we should be moving on from this room, before anything else is in danger. Skull should have already placed the book back.”

“Yep!” his voice boomed from across the room.

“See? So, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“Hell yeah. We have a dick to dismantle.”

The two shared a grin, just like the first day they met.

  
  
  


\---

The next room was yet another library. This one with ornate gold fixtures over pretty much everything.

In the center was a golden book labeled King Book.

Panther was the first to the book, as Skull had firmly attached himself to Joker, doubling down on his promise to never leave her alone anywhere near Kamoshida, apparently including his conscience in that. 

She rolled her eyes as she saw the book. “Fucking stuck up prick.” she muttered as she flipped the book open.

“What’s in it?” Skull asked as Mona climbed up onto the table to get a better look. Joker was browsing some of the nearby shelves.

“It’s a list of all of his accomplishments and that bullshit. Like how he won the Olympic gold medal and how he got the principal into the palm of his hand and shit.”

“Of course he has this giant room to his accomplishments. Asshole.” Ryuji kicked a nearby bookshelf in anger.

“Let’s just get through this damn room. I want to be out of this library. ASAP.” Panther growled as she hoisted the book up and started to look for it’s place.

Meanwhile, Joker was had found a book that had really stood out to her. “Government Contacts to control Shujin.” She slowly pulled the book out and started to read about how he had a connection to the upper eschalon of government and how that somehow connected to…. 

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

“NO. EFF THIS. NO.”

With a gasp, the book in her hands clattered to the ground as she dove into battle mode, ready to fight whatever had caused her companions to scream like that. They had entered the next room without her in their excitement. So, she ran after them. 

Only to stop in her tracks.

Panther was on her knees, pulling on her pigtails with Skull kneeling next to her, arms around hers. 

Mona’s eyes were wide in shock. He had seen a lot of the dark side of humanity through his interactions with Shadows, but had yet to fully understand what the Shadows meant in the real world. 

Strewn across the room were pictures of Suzui. His mental memory of him raping Suzui were currently his most prized memories, apparently, as they were arrayed atop of an alter. As Joker took a few tentative steps forward, she noticed on the fringes of the room were pictures of herself and of Ann. 

Before she could feel herself slipping away, she made herself do the grounding technique that Skull had worked her through just a little bit ago.  _ I can’t fall apart again. I have to do something. _

“Mona.”

“Yeah, Joker?” He stared at Joker, eyes wide.

“If we destroy this, do you think it would destroy his memories of it, or his reverence of it.”

“Well… since it’s in the books over there, I think the memories would still be safe….”

“Well, that’s close enough for me.” she cut him off. “Mona, can you collect all of the photos in this room.”

“Sure…?”

“Thank you.” She nodded at him and then turned to Panther, who was still curled up on the ground. “Hey, Panther”

“Yeah?” her voice shook.

“You ready to fucking set this room ablaze?”

Panther slowly turned her head back at Joker. “You mean….?”

“Hell yeah. He might need those books to keep his memories. But he sure as hell doesn’t need an altar of his  _ favorites _ .”

Panther’s slowly growing smile turned feral.

Skull gave a shark grin as he got up to help Mona collect all the photos.

\---

Once all were collected into a small pile  _ off of the carpet _ (Joker could not believe that she had to explain that to the room of blossoming pyromaniacs), they were able to finally smile freely as Panther spun around to reduce the pictures to ash. 

The group couldn’t stop laughing as they watched the ashes fly up. It was probably from hysteria, but it didn’t matter. They needed this. Desperately. 

Cold had crept back into the room, erasing all traces of the fire before the team felt the ability to move again. Terrified to move forward, not knowing what lay ahead, they grasped the moment until they could fool themselves no longer. 

Hoisting themselves out, they trudged forward.

\---

The next room was… bright. 

Light was pouring in through the stained glass windows across from the door they just entered. The group had to cover their eyes as they adjusted to the shining white tiles and velvet red walls with gold fixings. 

“What… the hell?”

“I guess we’ve reach the next level of his psyche. I gotta wonder what lies  _ underneath _ everything we just saw.” Mona blanched. He pulled out a second half of the map that he had found while searching for all of the photos in the previous room. “We’re past the first map, and are now in the hidden depths that are only on this second map….”

“I… really am not looking forward to finding out.” Panther rolled her eyes. 

They carefully made their way down the hall, searching for any sign of movement. Right as they approach an opening that would allow them to further explore this new area, a door materialized next to them.

“Oh, look! A Safe Room!” Mona bounced.

“Really?” Skull’s voice was weary.

“Yep!” 

“Let’s go in!” Joker gave a tiny smile as she pulled the door open, their cozy hideaway from last time recreating itself before their eyes.

\---

Finally being given a given a moment of true peace after all that just happened, the Thieves collapsed once they had all entered the room. 

Once more, Mona is in Panther’s lap, purring softly as Panther anxiously braids her hair just to keep her hands occupied. The scratching she had done in the library hadn’t damaged the suit, but had somehow irritated the skin underneath. So, she was doing the best she could to keep her hands occupied so she wouldn’t worsen the sensation. 

With every twist of her wrist, her hands shakes just slightly. Just enough to make Mona wince and purr just a little bit more. It had worked so well in the library, it should work again now, right?

He did his best to not call attention to how his fur was suddenly wet.

\---

Joker had slumped to the ground the moment she had made sure everyone had gotten into the room safely. 

She had managed to not react, to not go overboard, in that altar room. She had managed to keep it all in, stay strong, and be the leader everyone else needed her to be. 

Now, however? In the safe room, where she didn’t need to be on high alert, didn’t need to direct anyone, and didn’t need to be the pillar? She was curled up in a ball, crying silently. Skull was sitting up against the wall next to her, allowing her to lean on him and hold his hand for support. 

She knew Skull was in pain, his leg had been twitching slightly since the last Safe Room and the stress from the libraries couldn’t have helped. The impact point (right above the kneecap with one of the metal poles to hold up the Volleyball net from Kamoshida’s office) had been acting up since the room with the Slave Book. She had noticed him gripping above the knee since then. 

_ Guess I’m not the only one with muscles remembering the pain.  _

Dr. Takemi had told her that psychosomatic pain was normal after traumatic situations. And so she might randomly get severe pains that feel just like what had happened, and it was just the brain and the muscles dealing with it and trying to move forward from it. It… it makes sense that Skull would also be getting that in the same situation as she did. 

He just… was a lot better at hiding it. _ Guess that’s what years of therapy about that topic would do. _

After a few moments of just sitting there, grasping onto Skull as a landline, she eventually started to feel herself calm down once more. 

_ I survived. He doesn’t think I’m weak. No one seems to think I was weak. And I got through all of that again with those memory books. I stumbled for a little bit in that last room, but I was able to stop myself. I did it. It’s… it’s gonna be okay. I can do this. _

As her breathing calmed and her claw like hold on Skull’s hand loosened, he actually snapped some more Gatorade into existence and handed it to her. 

“Please, drink this. Lord knows we all need some more electrolytes. I’m gonna go and give some to Panther and Mona as well, okay? I’ll be back in just a moment?”

She nodded as she took the bottle from him, letting him to so he could help the others.

_ He’s always looking out for everybody, and always has an eye out for those who need help. How the fuck could no one else see this? How did Kamoshida find such a perfect way to destroy everyone’s view of that?  _

Her grip on the bottle tightened and it crinkled as her anger towards Kamoshida started to grow again.

_ Deep breaths. Cannot let him win. You are here to kick him down a few pegs, but you have to stay in control to do so. Focus on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. _

\---

Rehydrated and given a chance to deal with their emotions, they left the Safe Room. 

Peering around the corner to look into the wide open space on the other side of the wall, the rest of the team was met with a curled lip from Joker.

“What is it?”

“Is it more sex shit?” Skull grimaced.

“No…”

A sigh.

“It’s just… gaudy.”

“What?” Panther couldn’t contain her outburst. She leaned over Joker and quickly matched her expression. “She’s right, it’s gaudy as fuck. But there’s Shadows in there. So we can insult it as much as we want after we destroy all of the Shadows.”

“That sounds just perfect to me.” Skull was winding up his arm with his pipe in hand. “We freaking need to get out some physical energy. We haven’t had a fight  _ at all _ since before all that library bullshit.”

“You know what to do, guys. Let’s go!” Joker dove out from her hiding space to the nearest Shadow and ripped the mask off while the rest of team followed to fill their roles. 

Mona shot his minibombs off to disorient the Shadows while Panther captured the largest of them in her whip. The others she cast Agi to keep close. Once they were secured, Skull cracked a smile as he cracked their skulls. Joker kept watch and called out escape attempts and used her knife to… take care… of any stragglers.

As the final Shadow dissolved into dust, the team all shook off their clothes and wiped off their weapons with a grin on their faces.

“You were right, Skull… we needed that.” Mona grinned as he stretched.

“Heh. If there’s one thing I know about, it’s about exercise and how it can effect your brain.” Skull scratched his nose as his cheeks started to burn. 

“You’re good for more than just that, silly.” Joker teased.

“St-stop that!” The blush was going down to his neck now.

The rest of them started laughing. Honestly, nonforced, genuine laughter.

After a moment, Panther paused with a hand on her cocked hip. “So, team. What do you want to do about  _ that monstrosity? _ ” she pointed toward the golden, glistening statue of Kamoshida that was before them. 

“Oh. He does  _ not _ deserve that statue.” Skull was cracking his knuckles.

“Hey, Mona?”

“Yeah?”

“Did… you bring  _ everything _ that I asked for you to bring?”

“Well, yeah!”

“Can you pull out the paint?”

A feral gleam appeared in Mona’s eyes. “On it, Joker!”

After a quick conversation with Zorro, there were suddenly cans of paint surrounding the group. 

“I, uh, thought that a man as obnoxious as Kamoshida would have a statue or a painting or something….” Joker explained to the confused team while awkwardly smiling.

“So, you brought shit for us to deface him?”

“Yep…”

“Count me in.”

“Hell yeah!”

Joker’s smile turned more genuine with the affirmation from her friends that this was a good idea. “So, what’s the plan?”

\---

After a brief delineation period, the team had hoisted themselves up to Kamoshida’s face using Panther’s whip as a stabilizer and had proceeded to scream in his face for a while.

Just scream. As loud as they could. Right in his stupid shiny metallic face.

Once that was out of their system, they each grabbed their favorite color and wrote all of the names they had for him all over his body. All of the things they wanted to tell him. All of the insults they had built up towards him. They painted all of their words and etched in the ones that were most important to them. 

By the time the whole team felt finished and had unfurled Panther’s whip from the arm of the statue, it was covered entirely in paint. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t organized. But it had gotten all of their anger out. 

“Hey, Joker?”

“Yeah.”

“That was a great idea… thanks.”

“I’m glad figuring out how to buy it all without Boss noticing was worth it.” She sighed with her hands behind her head.

“Boss has no idea?” Panther questioned.

“Nah. I don’t know how to explain evil mental dimensions and fighting using demons against the mental scourge of mankind to him just yet. I’m gonna hope I can frame Kamoshida confessing as mental pressure from everything that happened and Boss’s ability to be a badass.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. We might need to iron out that plan a little more later… but… that’s for after we steal Kamoshida’s treasure, I can’t waste time planning that out now.”

“You’re right.”

“Later us problem?”

“Later us problem.”

\---

Quite a bit of fancy gymnastics later, the group peered through the next doorway to see that they were back outside. Rain was pouring down somehow on the dark and dreary rooftop of the castle. 

They all stood under the walkway and tried to get a good look at what their next move out be. 

“Okay… so according to my map, and, well, what we can see, the treasure is going to be at the top of that spire right there.” Mona pointed to the monolith ahead of them.

“Dammit. There’s a lot of Shadows ahead of us, and they all that that weird wisp formation that proves that they’re pretty strong.” Skull moaned.

Joker stayed silent as she tried to take in everything.

“Wait!” Panther exclaimed. “I think I have an idea! See over there!” She pointed. “Those flag poles look sturdy enough for me to use my whip on them, just like the statue of Kamoshida.”

The rest of the group looked back at Panther. 

“That’s a brilliant idea.” Joker breathed. 

“Well, planning is probably the thing I’m best at…” Panther trailed off. 

“Sweet! We get to do a rooftop infiltration! This is straight outta the movies!” Skull fistpumped.

“C’mon guys, let’s stay focused.” Mona wringed his hands.

“Mona’s right. This is really freaking cool. But we have to be careful. Mona, you go first to make sure it can hold our weight as you are the smallest. Panther, you’re last, as it’s your whip. Skull, you’re after me. I want to make sure you stay close to me with your leg acting up as it has been.”

“What do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes, “I noticed you’ve started hobbling again, and we’re about to walk on a slick rock in the rain on a small ledge. I want to make sure you don’t fall, dumbass.”

“Dammit. I thought it wasn’t that bad…” he was muttering to himself.

“I told you I didn’t want to have to worry about you as well. And I won’t, if you just stay within arm’s reach during this more dangerous terrain, okay?”

“Fine, fine.” he gave her a quick grin to make sure she knew that there were no hard feelings.

“Okay, any other questions or anything?” after a beat of silence, “Let’s go, team!”

And they were off.

\---

As they flipped their way across the parapets, no one could deny the rush that was running through them. Joker had to remind them a few times to slow down and be careful, but she was working just as hard to keep herself in check. 

This was… this was unlike anything she had ever dreamed of herself doing. 

She was flipping across open crevasses while climbing a medieval castle in full thief gear under the cover of the moon. 

She was the coolest movie star of all time. Carmen Sandiego couldn’t have done it cooler than her. 

She always had a hand out and ready to grab Skull’s in case his leg acted up on a jump, and Panther was using her whip to assist in all manner of maneuvers since she wasn’t as skilled athletically as Skull or Joker. As for Mona, he was using all of his cat like reflexes to propel himself across all of the jumps with ease.

As the team eventually reached a window they could entered the tower by, they couldn’t help but feel disappointed. That was one of the most surreal and exhilarating experiences thus far, and to have to go back to delving into the skeevy teacher’s mind was off-putting, to put it lightly.

After they touched down within the tower, they all froze, chills going up their spines. 

“I… don’t like this…” Panther breathed out.

“Why… is that block moving?” Skull pointed to a few stone bricks in the wall that were floating around each other.

“We’re getting  _ really _ close to the center of the cognition. So, while there might be some… strong themes in the next area” he winced as he said that, “it’s also not the most concrete. Ummm…” he paused trying to think of a good way to explain it. “You know how, like, you’re trying to write a story and you have an idea for a theme? And like, the theme is really broad and wavy. But, like, the plot details are defined and exact? They still connect, but like, one is a lot more concrete and defined than the other. So, like, we passed all of the concrete and defined stuff, the plot points. All that is left is the motives and themes, and those are always a lot more general.”

Joker nodded. 

“I didn’t get it.” Skull moaned.

“I’ll explain it to you later, Skull. Just know that we’re in the center, and things aren’t really super defined here, and so things will not be following the laws of anything.”

“I can do that, at least.” he sighed.

Panther was stone faced, prepping herself to for anything.

“Well, no use delaying the inevitable, let’s see what lies behind his last facade of sanity.” Joker sighed and went to open the door. Only to freeze once she got a glimpse of the other side.

“Is… everything okay?” Skull carefully asked.

“It’s… different. And… not really okay. Remember, team, what we see is exactly why we’re fighting and why we’re here. To put an end to this, okay? Just push through. We’re at the end.”

And with that, she directed the team to follow her as she hid behind the nearest floating pillar.

They move on, fighting Shadows as they pass them, grateful for the distraction and outlet for their anger. 

The entire time, Skull is just grinding his teeth, his fingernails leaving small crescent moons in their wake on his skin. Panther is whispering “what the fuck” under her breath nonstop. Mona’s tail is decidedly between his legs, and Joker is staring anywhere but the naked Volleyball Player statues that are  _ following them around the damn room. _

_ This is how he truly thinks women see him? Fucking pig. _

\---

When Mona announced a Safe Room nearby, Joker couldn’t deny the sigh that rippled through her whole body. She practically ran in the direction he pointed and slammed that door open, glad to be back in a room that was structurally sound and not purple and not filled with statues of her classmates looking sexual.

A chair materialized underneath her as she collapsed into it. “Fuck this.”

“Amen.” Panther whined as she followed suit. 

“What the  _ hell _ is wrong with this bastard?” Skull ground out as he started to do some leg stretches. 

“Sit, Skull. You need to rest your leg.”

“Fine.” The room created another chair for him.

Mona was sitting in Joker’s lap this time, trying to subtly purr to keep tensions down. She patted his head as thanks.

There were a few minutes of silence as everyone just tried to wrap their heads around what this final layer meant about Kamoshida, and about what was to come as they continued their trek further into this hellhole.

“I… I don’t know if I can keep going.” Skull confessed. “It’s… it’s too much. It’s so messed up and…”

“Yeah.” Panther echoed.

“I completely agree… but… Do you honestly think we’ll ever be able to come back and finish this? Knowing what’s here?”

The other two humans looked at each other awkwardly. 

Joker continued, “This shit fucking sucks. We all knew he was fucked up. Hell, we probably could have even told you he was fucked up to this level. But, like, we’re being more than just faced with it, we’re actively wading in it. But, we’re almost done. And, let’s be real, I never want to ever step foot in here ever fucking again. I know what’s at stake, but I’m not gonna be able to fight my anxiety and shit to step foot back in here willingly. Especially the idea of having to trapeze through these weird ass halls of naked statues again.” she shuddered. “I barely want to go outside now. I half want to live in this room forever. Which is why we need to finish this now, or we’ll never be able to finish it.”

The other two hung their heads. 

“You’re right.”

“Hell, I don’t even want to be here now. I can’t even imagine trying to go about my day with the knowledge that I have to come  _ back _ here looming over me.”

“Thanks. Remember, this shit sucks, but we’re here together. And we’re here to burn this place to the ground.”

They all nodded at one another and went for a fist bump in the middle. 

“Okay, y’all. I know  _ none _ of us want this. But let’s roll out. We’re almost done.” 

And with that, they headed back out.

\---

Joker had really hoped that right after the weird saw chasm puzzle would be right before the final room. 

But today had not really been the day for anything going her way. 

And so, instead she and her friends found themselves in a dark and damp dungeon room, way up high in the center of his psyche. 

_ That… cannot be a good sign about his psyche. _

“Joker, I don’t sense any enemies in this room right now.” Mona’s ears and nose were twitching as he scouted the room.

“Okay, team. Let’s split up and look for a way out. Mona says there are currently no Shadows here, but always stay on your guard, we don’t need another sneak attack. I… I don’t like this room, so let’s get out of here ASAP.” She commanded everyone else before wandering over to search the nearest enclave.

Skull positioned himself in the middle of the open area, back against the wall as he kept tabs on where everyone else was. Joker and Mona were scouring for  _ something  _ as they worked their way inch by inch across the room. Panther was looking up high, trying to find somewhere to perhaps attach her whip to hoist them all up once more. 

Eventually, Panther paused at the far end of the room from Skull and quietly pointed up at a staircase that seemed to be lopped off halfway down. It was just out of reach of her whip’s length, and as she followed the trajectory of the staircase, she saw an outline of it on the ground by her feet. 

“Hey guys!” she spun around, “I think I found  _ where  _ we’re supposed to leave here, but now we just gotta figure out how!”

Joker and Mona headed over to her to check out her discovery. 

“You’re absolutely right, the bottom half of the stairs are missing.” Mona pondered.

“We gotta find something to either bring back the stairs or a replacement for them.” Joked mused.

Skull watched on, listening and looking out for trouble when suddenly there was a shudder up his spine. He felt more than heard the formation of a Shadow behind him.

“Guys! Fight!” He managed to bark out, spinning around as he leapt away from the incoming enemy.

The others spun around just as the Shadow was taking form. 

“What the fuck is that.” Joker blinked a few times.

“Well… you know what they say about how assholish men think…. I mean… it’s about the right size.” Ann bit out. 

“Can you stop talking about the size of Kamoshida’s dick and just help me out here?”

“On it!” The two hurried to join him. 

Panther jumped to begin their normal battle routine when she slid to a stop. 

“What’s wrong, Panther?” Mona cried out.

“I… ew. This thing… it won’t stop staring at me.”

“Oh God, it’s licking its lips.” Joker whined.

While it was gazing at his female companions, Skull took the opportunity to get a hit in. 

It didn’t even look at him.

“Hey, Mona. Let’s beat the shit out of this thing while it’s not paying attention.”

“Yeah! This Shadow will die for its perversions.”

\---

The dead silent group slowly crawled up the stairs after that last fight. 

The girls’ eyes were dead, staring straight ahead as they slowly headed up the final staircase.

Skull and Mona refused to say a word after that fight after Joker made a “you really beat that meat to death” joke as a reflex.

As they got to the top of the staircase, however, Mona jumped in excitement once more. “Guys! We’re right next to the treasure! It’s in the  _ next room _ ! I can feel it!”

The light slowly came back to everyone’s faces. 

“Really?” 

“We’re almost done!”

“We can leave here soon!”

“And, on top of that… I think I sense a Safe Room right around the corner…”

Joker grinned, “Okay, y’all, let’s take a quick breather to get ready for this final stretch y’all. And so we can get out of here faster once we’re done.”

“Let’s go!”

\---

True to their word, they only spent a short time in the final Safe Room before trying to figure their way out into the Treasure’s hiding place.

“Okay, so this door seems to be locked. But, hey, we’re thieves, right? Let’s be stealthy!” 

“Hell yeah, Mona! Let’s figure a way up!” Skull clapped his hands together. 

“I think I see a way up, but it isn’t my favorite, to be entirely honest….” Panther sighed. 

“Whatever gets us out of here ASAP is my favorite way, Panther.” Joker replied.

“If you say so…” Panther pointed to an opening atop of a sexualized Volleyball Student’s statue.

“Ugh… I see what you mean…” Joker squeezed her eyes shut in exhaustion. “But, it seems to be our best option, and I just wanna get moving.”

“Let’s be quick about this. I don’t wanna think about what we’re gonna do.”

“Agreed.”

Flipping up and over the girl’s statue, they crept through the opening to the next room to find themselves in the Throne Room for the castle. Before any of them could react, Joker spun around with a finger up to her lips. Skull quickly moved to cover his mouth with his hands, a muffled irritated groan covered.

By using overemphasized hand signals (they would need to go over signals if they ever had to do this shit again), the team followed Joker over to the door behind Kamoshida’s throne. 

They watched Kamoshida for a moment lecture his massive army of guards for failing to catch their group yet before sneaking through the ornate door where Mona had stated the Treasure should lie. 

Once everyone was in safely and the door was shut once more, the team took a moment to look in at their new room. 

Piles of treasure were sitting as far as the eye could see. Gold, jewels, and other absurd amounts of shiny things were vying to take their attention. But nothing that screamed to them “Treasure of Kamoshida’s Heart and the sole reason for his Sins.”

Joker walked her way up to the top of the pile of gold in the middle of the room to survey the entire space. Once she was at the top, she spotted a glowing ball off in the back near the window.

“Hey, guys, I think I found it. Maybe?”

“Maybe? How can it be a  _ maybe? _ ” She could hear Skull scowling as he tried to make his way up to where she was.

“Don’t try to get up here! Just walk around!” She called down before he could slip and hurt himself. 

“Thanks!” The rest of the team made their way around as she slid down the gold pile to the ground.

Once she saw them rounding the bend of the massive gold pile, she called out to Mona, “Hey! So… what is this thing? Any idea?”

Mona tilted his head towards the glowing ball and beamed. “Yep! This is what we’re looking for!” He skidded to a stop right next to Joker with a shining smile on his face.

“Wait, what? This?” Skull’s lip curled.

“What gives?” Panther cocked her hip as she tried to figure it out.

“It’s… where his Treasure  _ will _ be.”

“Will be?  _ Will be? _ Are you saying we did all of this for a  _ will be? _ ” Skull fumes, his hands are balled into fists once more and he’s glaring at Mona.

“We had to make a path here first!” Mona quickly defended himself.

“Explain.” was all there was to Panther’s curt reply.

“Please.” Joker agreed.

“Okay, okay. So, the next step for us is to send a Calling Card to him; we have to psych him out and make him realize that there even is something within worth stealing. Once he realizes that whatever it is that set him on this path is in danger, it will materialize and we will be able to fully steal it.”

“And why didn’t we do this before?”

“Because we only get one chance. We have a 24 hour window to nab it, or he’ll assume we were bluffing and we’ll never get another chance!”

“Oh… so we had to make sure we could get here and had that Safe Room nearby so we can get the Treasure quickly during the small window where he’s visualizing his Treasure?”

“Yeah.”

“I wish you had told us before this… I was really hoping to get this done with today…”

“To be honest, I just kinda remembered that just now. I… I think I had some of my memories get all jumbled up when I lost my human form... “

“So… seeing this reminded you what it is that we’re supposed to do?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, shit, I can’t stay mad at you when you put it that way…” Skull sighed.

“So, Mona, we’ve done all that we can today to steal the Treasure?”

“Yep!”

“Perfect. Let’s go home then. I need to fucking sleep.”

“Ughhhhhhh…. That means that we have to come back here again….” Panther was near tears at the prospect.

“Don’t worry. We just have to jump back to the Safe Room we were just in. We don’t have to deal with any of the… stuff… below us.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I was gonna actually cry if we had to go through everything again.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here, before we all start crying again on principle.”

\---

As the Safe Room warped into the vent out of the castle, they all sighed in relief before slinking off towards the exit. 

“Before we go.”

“Yeah Joker?”

“Let’s just separate and go home. Like, just eat something when you go home and go to sleep. Please don’t try to push yourselves today. We did a shit ton.”

“On it!”

“No problems with that here!”

“Can I get an extra tuna can tonight?”

“Sure thing, Mona.” She giggled that that was his first thought before sighing again. She was done with today.

“Night y’all. Text the group chat if need be.” And with that, she activated the app to send them all back home.

\---

Luckily, time seemed to go a bit slower in the Metaverse than it did in the Real World, so it wasn’t dark yet by the time she stumbled upon Leblanc.

_ Shit. How am I going to explain how exhausted I am? _

**_Mentally exhausted because Kamoshida was pushing boundaries. And physically exhausted because you went for an extra long run with Ryuji afterwards to deal with it._ **

_ Holy shit, Adler. You’re a genius.  _

**_That IS what I’m known for._ **

With a quick smile towards her Persona, she steeled herself for opening the door home.

She entered just as Boss was finishing up making the curry for tomorrow and was starting to pack it up.

“Oh, perfect. I was about to call you to ask if I should save you a plate. Should I serve you some?”

“That would be lovely, thanks.” 

His brow furrowed, “Hey, you okay? You seem exhausted.”

“Yeah. It was… a long day.”

“Anything you wanna talk about?” He asked as he started to serve out a portion.

“Not really. Kamoshida hasn’t directly spoken to any of us, but he’s been trying to be a menace in other ways, and it’s tiring. Spreading rumors and shit. And, well, then I went for a long run with Ryuji to deal with it, and that left me super exhausted.” she stifled a yawn as he pushed the plate in front of her.

He watched her for a moment as she started to dig in. He bit his lip. “Well, if you’re sure. Just remember, I’m here for you if you need me. I’m gonna be doing all I can to help you out of this situation, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Good. Now get some rest tonight, you look just about to keel over.”

“Don’t I know it.” she muttered under her breath.

He heard it, but made sure not to react. He busied himself with putting away the rest of the curry and closing up as quickly as he could. He knew that she needed some time to rest and get over whatever it was that she wasn’t telling him, and that she wouldn’t allow herself to do so until he left for the night.

_ All I can do is let Dr. Takemi know. Hopefully she’ll be able to get it out of her. I hope she’ll let me know in a few days after she’s been able to sit on it… but whatever it is really took a major toll on her today. _

“I’m heading out for the night. Be good, okay?”

“Night, Boss.” she saluted him as he headed out the door. 

With the clang of the bell as the door closed, she closed her eyes and counted to 20 before slumping down on the counter and crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I fucking did it. 
> 
> Holy shit. I did it. 
> 
> I’m so tired. So so tired.
> 
> Like. Fck.
> 
> This was over 50 pages. But it’s done and I’m pretty okay about it.
> 
> Kamoshida’s Palace is done. All that’s left is the Calling Card, the boss fight, and then hanging out with frens until the next baddie comes along.
> 
> I changed the whole Books thing because of narrative. I’m trying my best to make Ann more of an actual human. And trying to lean into the parts of Ryuji that aren’t just a walking joke. And letting Morgana show off his knowledge without being a massive dick.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions about anything else. I have reasons for all of the things, and I meant to talk about them in here, but I forgot them now that it’s been over 50 pages. You know how it is.
> 
> But yeah, as you can imagine, this was the reason why this took so long to get out. This was a mega chapter, and it took many days to write. I wrote like the last 8 pages today. And 10 pages yesterday, and 8 the day before…. 
> 
> It was a lot. 
> 
> But the next chapter will be a lot shorter in comparison. So, I’m really pumped about that. Hahahaha.
> 
> Anyways. PLEASE let me know how you liked it and things you liked and all of that. I did a lot of writing and rewriting to make sure that none of it was phoned in or just blehed.


	13. April 21st, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira has issues using her words, Ann is an angry packmule, Ryuji is good at blushing, and Morgana is forceful from time to time. 
> 
> And Sojiro is really starting to feel that he is too freaking old for this shit.

“Hey. Kid. Kid!”

“Wha---?” Akira slowly opened her eyes to see Boss shaking her awake.

“Oh, thank goodness. You were sleeping like a rock. Hell, I had to turn off your alarm clock for you.” He pushed himself back up and stepped away from the bed.

Akira still didn’t understand what was going on as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and then looked for her phone to check the time.

“Shit!”

“Exactly. I have breakfast downstairs.” He pivoted and made his way down the steps as she scrambled behind him to get out of bed. He couldn’t help but wince at the  _ thump _ s that he heard she continued to try and get ready while her legs had yet to fully wake up.

He waited until he started to hear her descend down the stairs herself before beginning to lecture her on punctuality. 

“So, I know things have been stressful at Shujin and you were out late last night with your friends, but I don’t want this to be a habit, you un...der...stand…?” 

He blinked a few times as he fully took in Akira’s disposition for today.

“Wait right here.”

She blinked to herself a few times as Boss moved past her to the supply closet and searched until he pulled out a thermometer.

“Use this.”

Now it was her turn to blink a few times in response.

“I hate to say this, but you look terrible. And, not just ‘I suddenly woke up late’ terrible. You’re shaking and swaying on your feet.” He sighs as she stumbles while trying to grab it from him.

“I mean, I slept pretty badly, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, but I don’t think I have a  _ fever _ .” she rolled her eyes, but put the thermometer under her tongue.

Boss’s eyebrow just quirked as the device beeped out a final reading of 37.7 C. Akira, meanwhile, dropped her head in embarrassment. 

“Back upstairs.” 

“But! It’s such a low fever! And I can’t just miss school whenever I have such a tiny…”

“You’re staying home. You have severe injuries that can cause permanent problems if they get infected or you get sick. So, you’re gonna nip this in the bud  _ now. _ ” He crossed his arms, scowling at her stubbornness.

“But…” she sighed.  _ I don’t want to call attention to myself, and maybe it would be for the best if I wasn’t in today. But… I don’t want to be weak… _

“But nothing, get back upstairs while I make you some porridge for breakfast.” His brow furrowed even deeper, furthering the unmovable stance that he was in.

Biting her lip, Akira turned around and wandered back up the stairs.  _ The stairs  _ **_do_ ** _ seem to be moving. _

That realization, of course, prompted her to collapse  _ \- sit down on purpose - _ onto her bed to take a breath before getting back up to change. While she was laying there, she felt her phone in her pants pocket press against her hip. “I should probably let the others know that I’m not going to be in today.”

“That’s probably a good idea…” Morgana agreed as he slithered his way out of the bag. “Hey! You should ask Boss if you can have Ryuji and Ann over after school. Say you were gonna hang out with them after school, and that’s why you’re bummed about not going.” His pupils were dilating at the idea of seeing the other teens.

“That  _ is  _ a good idea. I was gonna chat during lunch about the calling card, but… well that plan is shot. So, might as well change the meeting place! Boss did say I could have them over….”

“Yeah!” Morgana chirped.

**[Tom Thievery - Fucking Up Motherfuckers]**

**Joke’s On You: Hey y’all. I’m sick.**

**Bashing Skulls: What????**

**Pink Panther: What’s wrong?**

**Joke’s On You: Yeah… got a fever**

**Joke’s On You: Nothing too bad!**

**Joke’s On You: But, you know, with everything else going on…**

**Pink Panther: Your guardian just wants to make sure everthing’s okay?**

**Joke’s On You: Yeah. Prevent infections and shit.**

**Bashing Skulls: INFECTION?**

**Bashing Skulls: YOU BETTER STAY HOME**

**Bashing Skulls: I TOLD YOU TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH**

**Bashing Skulls: If you have a permanent issue from this**

**Bashing Skulls: I WILL fight you.**

**Joke’s On You: ….**

**Joke’s On You: Anyways…**

**Joke’s On You: I was gonna talk during lunch about Calling Card**

**Joke’s On You: But…**

**Pink Panther: Little hard to from home?**

**Bashing Skulls: You’re ignoring meeeeeeee**

**Joke’s On You: Yep!**

**Bashing Skulls: who was that yep to**

**Joke’s On You: So, I’m gonna double check with Boss**

**Joke’s On You: But… you think you guys can come here after school?**

**Joke’s On You: To chat? And to plan the CC so we can get it over with?**

**Pink Panther: Skull, I think the yep was to both at the same time**

**Bashing Skulls: (੭ ˃̣̣̥ ㅂ˂̣̣̥)੭ु**

**Joke’s On You: Guys?**

**Pink Panther: Yeah, I’m free to run over.**

**Pink Panther: Plus, Leblanc makes the best mochaaaaaa**

**Bashing Skulls: I’m always free for you**

**Bashing Skulls: shit.**

**Pink Panther: w(°ｏ°)w ᵒᵐᵍᵎᵎᵎ**

**Bashing Skulls: wrong chat.**

**Pink Panther: Do I even want to know what’s going on in this… other chat?**

**Bashing Skulls: Shaddup!**

**Bashing Skulls: Back me up here!**

**Bashing Skulls: Kira????**

**Pink Panther: Akira????**

**Joke’s On You: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Pink Panther: Great. You broke her.**

**Pink Panther: ANYWAYS.**

**Pink Panther: We’ll see you after school**

**Pink Panther: Unless you tell us Boss says otherwise.**

**Bashing Skulls: Yeah!**

**Bashing Skulls: See you then!**

**Pink Panther: Yes, Yes you will**

**Joke’s On You: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Akira had dropped her phone on her face immediately following that conversation.

“Are you okay?” Morgana softly padded towards her. “You’re breathing’s a little… off?”

“!!!!!!!” She managed to get out.

“Ah. Ryuji said something.” his tail flicked.

“!!!!” This time, with anger.

“~You’re not denying it~” He teased her as he started his way down the stairs. “I can smell breakfast.”

Akira curled her lips at Morgana as he chuckled to himself on the way down the stairs. 

_ Well, I do have to change and such now. Might as well get to it before Boss asks what’s wrong. _

Sighing, she finally hoisted herself off of the bed and changed back into her sweatpants and long sleeved shirt that she liked to sleep in. Patting her face to make sure it wasn’t still overheated from that chat conversation, she slowly descended back to the main floor, clutching the handrail on the way down.

_ I guess I’m a little more light headed and sick than I had thought. Dammit… Boss was right. _

Boss was pouring out the bowl of porridge just as she was reaching the landing. He looked up to greet her once more, but winced as her struggle became apparent. 

“Okay, okay, you’re definitely going to be sleeping the day away. If you still feel sick tomorrow, we’re going to have Dr. Takemi look you over.”

Akira quietly nodded back.

“And you’re not even fighting me on this? Wow, you must really not be feeling well.” He looked away for a moment, thinking, “You eat this and head right back up to bed, okay? I’m worried about you.”

“Yeah. That… should be a good idea. Don’t think I can climb the stairs right now anyways….” she tapered off awkwardly. After a moment of zoning, she snapped back to attention and looked back at Boss. 

“Yes?” Eyebrow quirked.

“Umm… I know I”m sick, but like…” she hummed, “The reason I was so anxious about going to school is because I made plans with Ryuji and Ann to help them make something… I was wondering if they could come here instead? It’s to help Suzui, Ann’s friend.”

His face softened, “You’re making her cards and cranes, aren’t you?”

Akira’s face went slightly slack in shock. “How... “

“They can come over. But, you gotta sleep as much as you can today, and you gotta take it easy when they’re here.” His eyes were misting a little, “I’m really glad that you’re helping Ann with this. I know it can’t be easy for any of you, and I know that…. Well… what happened to her hit you hard. I think you’re doing the right thing.” He bit his lip before turning away, cleaning his glasses with his apron while subtly wiping his eyes. 

Her eyes go wide.  _ Oh shit. He thinks… But… He’s…. He’s proud of me. I know he doesn’t really know what’s going on, but fuck, I’m gonna hold onto that phrase for a long time. _

_ I think you’re doing the right thing. _

_ Damn. _

Akira swallows her tears and goes to start in on her breakfast. 

“Thank you… Thank you so much.” She’s hiding her face in her breakfast so she doesn’t have to have anymore eye contact in this surprisingly emotion bowl of porridge.

Boss has to clear his throat before he replies, “It’s no problem. Thank you for telling me so I could work with you on this.”

She was glad she was staring at her bowl, as her guilt tore through her in a tangible and painful way.

_ I… I wish I could. I hope… I hope you won’t be disappointed when the truth comes to light.  _

_ I hope it doesn’t come to light. _

\---

Ann sighed as she slid into the seat on the train.

“Ryuji, today sucked. Like,  _ sucked _ . That wasn’t just me, right?”

His hand tightened around the bar above her seat. “It really freaking did.”

“Did… did you get any sleep last night?” her voice was nearly a whisper now, Ryuji had to strain to hear it completely.

His eyes narrowed for a second as he caught someone checking Ann out, leading him to take a step to the left to cut off the lecher’s view before answering with an exhausted sigh, “No… How… How could I?”

“I… I gotta ask Akira about borrowing Morgana for a night or two every once in a while.” She softly massaged her arms, grateful for the long sleeves.

Ryuji’s eyes had followed the motion and softened as he realized what was going on. “Yeah. He really helped us out there yesterday. I’m really glad he was there for you.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

The sullen silence between the two teens grew to a poignant pause before Ann could continue her initial questions.

“Why are we the ones who have to deal with this? Why did Akira have to be the one to be targeted? Why is she the first person to  _ do something? _ Why is it our job to fix this?” Her voice thankfully was kept deathly quiet, even as it crescendoed in intensity.

“I… I don’t know. It’s bullshit. We don’t deserve this.  _ She _ doesn’t deserve this. But we’re going to end it, and we’re gonna make sure it never happens again.”

Ryuji pointedly looks away for a moment while Ann wipes her eyes quietly.

“So. Was it just me, or was the shitbag worse than usual today? Like, he’s not in our business, because of Kira’s guardian, but, like…”

“Yeah. He was. I think… he’s aware that he’s under attack. You know? Doesn’t know why, doesn’t know who. But, he knows the jig is almost up. And, remember what Akira said? He knows that we’re the only ones who don’t roll over, so, even if he doesn’t know  _ what _ we’re doing, he knows that we’re the only ones capable of doing  _ anything. _ ”

Ryuji smirks at the embers coming back to Ann’s eyes. “You’re right. You’re right.”

“And you know what that means?”

“He’s going down.”

“Hell yeah.”

Both of their tears had slowly turned to feral grins by the time the intercom announced the Yongen-Jaya stop.

\---

Sojiro couldn’t help but sigh as he cleaned up after the world’s most arrogant customer. He swiped the mug off of the table with a grumble, “Where the hell does that guy get off?”

He tried his best to keep his usual loud breakdown of every insufferable thing the guy did down to a minimum, as Akira was still sleeping soundly above. Morgana, that cat, had actually taken a quiet spot on the stairs to give her some space. He was on the highest step he could be on and still be able to watch the whole of Leblanc, his black fur blending into the shadows. The cat’s eyes gleaming whenever he made eye contact with him were the only way that Sojiro cold be sure that he was even there. 

He considered heading over to pet the little guy, he’s been good all day, and must feel lonely without Akira being awake to interact with him.

Before he can get over to the stairs, he hears a ruckus outside. 

_ What the hell is going on? Who’s fighting at  _ **_this_ ** _ time of day? _

As he approached the door to his cafe, prepared to use his government voice to get some order in his alleyway, he started to hear snippets of the outburst, instead of just amorphous noise. 

“It’s this way!”

“I know it’s this way! I’m not stupid!”

“I know you’re anxious to see her, but you have to help me carry this!”

“Shuddup! I’m not anxious!”

“Help. Me. Carry. This.”

“No!”

_ Oh. The blondes are back. _

Sojiro sighed for a moment. He was happy that she was having her friends over. He just… he forgot they were so  _ loud. _

Allowing himself a final moment to massage his face, putting pressure on the corners of his eyes to try and relief tension, he put his customer service smile back on and swung the door open just as the blonde catastrophe reached its zenith.

“Oh.” The blonde boy, Ryuji, froze while his hand half outstretched. “Nice to see you again, Boss!” The outstretched hand turned into a wave.

Behind him a little ways back was the other blonde, the girl, Ann. She was stomping after Ryuji, copious amounts of bags in one hand and an angry fist as the other. 

“Come back here you freaking monkey…..” her feet stumbled as she saw Sojiro. “Oh, hi, Mr. Sakura! Thank you so much for allowing us to come over. It was very kind of you!”

“Yeah. We really ‘preciate it.” Ryuji kicked a pebble with his foot.

“Just get on in here, you brats. And stop making such a scene, you’ll bother the neighbors.”

Sheepishly, the two teens scurried into the shop, squabbles forgotten for the moment. 

“Now,” Sojiro sighed, he was far too old for this, “she’s still resting upstairs. Don’t be surprised if she’s asleep. But, I’m glad that y’all are sticking together. Don’t be too loud, okay?”

They both gave silent thumbs up before scampering up the stairs, supplies in hand. 

“Do you need a moment alone with her?” he could barely hear Ann whisper to Ryuji.

“Not right now. I don’t think.” Was Ryuji’s near silent return. But Sojiro was sure he could practically  _ feel  _ the blush from over here that had taken over the boy’s face.

Man, if Sojiro wasn’t used to straining to hear anything from Futaba, he wouldn’t have picked up on that interaction.

_ I wish I hadn’t heard that.  _

He groaned.

_ Ryuji and Akira are a thing? I don’t wanna have to talk to her about that. Did she ever get the talk? There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ll have just have to awkwardly deal with that later. _

A neverending groan was all he could think while he bitterly made himself a blonde shot to deal with the headache those blondes were sure to bring. Or had already brought.

\---

“Let me do it!” Ryuji was practically vibrating in place. 

“No offense, Ryuji….” Morgana paused for a moment to think of the best words. “But… you don’t really strike me as the best with words or the most creative or arty. So, why should you be the one to make the Calling Card?”

“I gotta second Mona on that one, I’ve seen your art projects for class.” Ann’s eyebrow was quirked.

“Shuddup!” the blush was back. “I know I’m not the most arty. But, like,” he looked like he was at a boiling point, “I feel like I got to do this.”

“I’m not saying no.” Akira placed her hand on his knee. “None of us are saying no. But, all of us have a stake here, and we just want to understand what you mean.”

All of the energy that was coursing through Ryuji seemed zapped out all at once as he flopped forward. “I know. I just… I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you said to me after we found that Slave Book, Kira.” 

Akira couldn’t help but suck in her breath at that whispered confession. Ann’s and Morgana’s faces also fell to grimaces, unsure where this was going.

“He targeted me first. He went out of his way to drag me down first.” He brought his head back up, “I’m not saying at all that that means I have, like, more of a reason that you guys, because this isn’t a contest at all. He destroyed all of our lives.” he quickly defended himself, before resteeling himself to continue, “But, like, it’s like you said, he went after me first because he knew that I would be able to bring him down. That I was the one with the nerve and the awareness and the charisma or whatever to actually cut through his bullshit.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And, so… That means that I still have that power. Hell, I probably have it a bit more now, since we’re doing this anonymously, so all the work Kamoshida did to destroy my reputation is useless here.”

Ann’s mouth turned to a small circle as she caught, “You want to be the one to do the public beatdown because that’s what he was afraid you’d do the whole time. We may work together to tear him down in his mind, and, hell, I really want to get the last shot at him because of what he did to me…. But you want to be the one to knock him down a peg in the real world, using real world tactics, because that’s what he’s afraid you’d do.”

Morgana blinked a few times at Ryuji after hearing Ann’s breakdown, and again at Ryuji’s nod in response.. “That’s… incredible.”

“I think that’s a great idea.” Akira beamed. “He sure as hell won’t see it coming, but I know that you’ll be able to really get to the heart of the matter in a way that’s irrefutable.”

“Yeah. That’s… that’s what I wanted.” He bit his quivering lip, “Thanks for believing in me.” 

Her grip on his knee gets stronger, “Thanks for telling us.”

She let there be a moment of silence while that sat before starting again, “So, do you want any help brainstorming, or do you want to do it all yourself? Or you wanna brainstorm yourself and then ask us for help?”

“I wanna see how much I can do by myself…. If that’s not too much.” he muttered, “I’ll let you know if I need help or anything.”

“That’s perfectly fine. You know what’s at stake, and you know what we need out of this.” She gave him a very confident nod, and did her best to look authoritative to the others to make sure no one else did anything to fracture his tentative determination.

Morgana took a deep breath before taking over the group meeting, “So, just to remind you all, we only get one shot at this. Once the Calling Card is done and distributed, we only have 24 hours to get the treasure, or it’s gone forever. So, we have to make sure we’re all ready for whichever day we decide to do this.”

“Is everyone free tomorrow?” Ann cut in quickly, “I  _ do not _ want to put this off anymore than needed. The idea of having to return there kept me up all of last night. I can’t go any longer with that over my head. So,  _ please,  _ can we do this all tomorrow?”

Akira nodded, “I agree. I want this shit to be over and done with.”

Ryuji stopped muttering to himself to look at everyone and nod once more, “I’m super game to getting rid of the bastard tomorrow. I just….” his brows furrowed in thought, “Ann, I’m gonna ask you for some art help later. Once I come up with an idea….”

“You know I’m bad at art, Ryuji…”

“Yeah, I know I’m better at that, but, like, you’re good at color schemes and shit. So, I’m gonna ask you for some help with that once I get this idea I have started figured out.”

“I’ll keep my phone on me!” She grinned at him diving back to his thoughts.

Akira smiled once more, “Well, I think I’m gonna kick y’all out now. Ryuji has a ton to do and I need to sleep some more so I feel up to  _ doing _ this tomorrow.”

“You better rest,” Ryuji has gotten up and is now crouching right in front of Akira, “Remember, your health is the most important. You need to take care of yourself so what Kamoshida did to you isn’t permanent. You know… Like…” He turned his head away from her and starts to head to the stairs, limp in full display.

Ann bites her lip at that display, before jumping out of her chair and giving Akira a hug. “But really, take care of yourself. We can have a full hang out day to just do nothing  _ after _ we take care of this asshole. But, first? We gotta rest and get ready for tomorrow. We’re gonna take him down.”

Akira stays in her spot on her bed while she watches the two of them head downstairs. She waits until she hears the bell ring out their departure before letting herself sigh. 

_ How can I help get ready for tomorrow? _

She started to hoist herself out of bed only to have Morgana leap into her lap and push her back down.

“Nope. You’re resting. Can’t have our great leader being sick be the reason this heist fails.”

“But…. I was going to make more lockpicks and a list of things to pick up tomorrow to pack for the trip.”

“And…” Morgana cuts her off, “You can tell me what you want to get and  _ I’ll  _ take note of it. And  _ I’ll _ make the lockpicks. Heck, I taught you, didn’t I? Let me make them.” He nods to himself as he lectures her from her lap.

“I… I guess.”

“Great! Now the only reason you’re allowed to get up is to go to the bathroom or grab me tuna!” He mrrrows as he leaps from her bed to her desk, using his tail to open the drawer she keeps all of the lockpick materials in.

She slowly creeps back into sleep, lulled by the sound of Morgana tinkering and inventing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Shorter chapter this time as it was just the calling card stuff today!
> 
> This actually went a pretty different direction than I had planned, but I still like it, so, we’re doing this.  
> My favorite part to write was the conversation between Ryuji and Ann. Like, you know they’re friends, but you never get to see their interactions away from Akira. So, here you go!
> 
> And yeah, I’m trying out a new way to format the texting and such. I’ve been reading a lot of other fanfics that include texting (it’s mainly what I did during my ‘rest’ time from writing to recoup after that last chapter) and am gonna try and have it in this fashion moving forward. 
> 
> Despite me having this as an easy chapter, it was still over 10 pages long…. I’m starting to think that I don’t know how to take it easy. I see that I only have like 5 bulletpoints to cover, and decide that’s a sign I need to add in more scenes… I mean, the whole Ryuji and Ann scene on the train was not at all in my outline. I just thought I had room to add it after seeing that I didn’t have much to cover. *sigh*
> 
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading this! Please let me know if you liked and what it is that you liked! Next up is the boss fight, so please be patient with me as I get that figured out!


	14. April 22nd, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamoshida gets his ass kicked. Ann sanitizes a fork. Ryuji does the electric slide. Morgana earned his tuna. Akira realizes that maybe things just might be okay after all.

Her whole body ached as she pulled herself out of bed.

The sky was still dark, and, unlike usual, there was no noise going on underneath her. 

_ Okay, I actually did wake up early. I gotta get ready and get out of here before Boss shows up... I can’t risk being forced to stay home again today. _

Biting her lip, she got to work quickly getting dressed and packing up all that she needed for the Palace trip today. Thankfully, all of the extra supplies from last time were being kept in the Sea of Souls still, so she didn’t need to figure out transport for all of that, she just had to figure out the logistics of the odds and ends she had picked up since then. 

Once she had everything figured out and organized, she sweetly rustled Morgana awake. “Hey, sweetie. I got everything ready for you to run to Zorro. If you could do that while I pack my school bag, that’d be amazing.”

After giving a full yawn, Morgana chirped to Akira, “No problem! I’ll have this stuff over there before you have to come back up to leave!”

“You’re the best, Mona.” She threw the praise over her shoulder.as she hopped down the stairs, missing how Morgana’s tail twitched and curled from the apprecitation.

\---

Sojiro sighed as he entered the cafe for the day. The silence of the closed Leblanc never failed to fill him with peace. It was the time for him to slowly get ready for the day, to take things in and just let the atmosphere settle and decide itself for the day. 

He hummed to himself as he started brewing the first pot of the day and prepped the curry for lunch. “I haven’t heard Akira’s alarm yet…. I should go check on her. Maybe she just didn’t turn it on because she was still sick?” He mused to himself as he started towards the stairs. 

As he reached the attic, he let out an animalistic growl. 

The bed was empty. Her bag was gone.

All that was left was a note on her desk, “~Sorry. Had to go to school today and didn’t want you to stop me. Ann  _ needs _ me to be there for her today at the hospital with Suzui.~”

Crumpling the note, he stomped his way back down the stairs.  _ Damn kids and their stupid inability to take care of themselves. _

\---

“Why do  _ I _ have to be the one to put these up?” Ann stomped her feet as she pouted.

“Because I have a limp. And you have the ability to change your posture. You know, since you’re a model.” Ryuji massaged his temples, tired of going over this.

“I know… I just… I’m nervous about getting caught.”

“That’s why I have my hoodies here. Make sure you have the hood up, our hair stands out.”

“Thanks…” she tapered off as she slipped the hoodie on. “This is why you told me to actually dress according to dress code today.”

“Your red leggings  _ do _ stand out.”

“And why you told me to pack them in my bag for later?”

“You’ll have to hide in the bathroom until other students show up, or else they’ll know.”

“This is…. Really impressive. Not gonna lie. I’m impressed, Ryuji.”

“Just because I don’t know big words or battle tactics doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to do some basic plans. I’m just viewing this like getting ready for a sports meet.”

“Let me be impressed with you, okay? This is nearly foolproof.”

“Fine, fine.”

The two sighed and finished their plates.

“I’ll take care of the bill, Ryuji. Thanks for the breakfast idea, this was amazing!”

“I used to come here all time at the end of my morning run before classes.”

“We should… we should try to come here as a full team from time to time. I feel a lot more energized for my day than usual.”

“Right?!? This food is getting me mad hyped!”

Ann gave him a soft smile before checking the time on her phone. “Shit, we gotta get moving. The night custodian’s shift is over, but the teachers could start showing up soon.”

“Let’s hightail it! Remember, I’ll be waiting in our meeting spot until I get an update from you!”

She flashed him a brilliant thumbs up, “On it!”

As he started to get up to follow her, he gave a final peek at his bag. Confirming the bundles of red and black were still there, he fought to not let the final creepings of doubt soak in. 

_ This shit is scary. And there’s a lot on the line here… but there’s a lot more on the line if we don’t do this. I gotta make it up to everyone for not helping before now. To Shiho, to Ann.  _

_ To Akira. _

\---

Akira stumbled her way into Shujin after her frantic shopping trip, yawning as she caught Ann slipping out of the girl’s bathroom on the main floor frantically zipping up her bag with one hand and texting with the other.

“You’re not usually here this early, Ann.” She managed to get out between her fingers covering yet another yawn.

“Well… You know… had things to do…” Ann bit her lip, looking around awkwardly.

“What... What things?”

A wink was Akira’s only answer.

As her mind was trying to wrap itself around what that could mean, Ann snatched her hand and pulled her over to the closest bulletin board. 

“Wow! I wonder who did this?” Ann projected her voice over the crowd that had gathered around the board, yanking Akira’s attention away from Ryuji quietly tripping and spilling more flyers on the ground.

Following the crowd’s direction, she was amazed to see that not just this one, but  _ all  _ of the bulletin boards were slathered in red and black cards that prominently stated that the Phantom Thieves of Heart were after the crimes of Suguru Kamoshida.

_ Phantom Thieves of Heart? I like it. _

Akira quietly crouched down to grab one of the calling cards from the ground and slipped it into her pocket before turning back to Ann and joining her in questioning what the heck the cards were all about.

_ Can’t play it up too much… just enough to make it so people don’t assume we know more, and not too much that they can tell we’re lying. _

Ann was starting to slip into the obvious territory, “Hey, Ann. Let’s go to class. I bet it’ll take longer with these crowds. Everyone already seems so invested in this whole thing. “

“Oh… sure.”

_ Thank. You. _

Akira spun around to see if she could still see Ryuji. When she did, it was her turn to grab Ann’s arm as she hopped over to their other human member.

“Morning, Ryuji!  _ Good job _ on showing up on time today!”

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Thanks?”

She beamed, “Well, we should get to class now. Don’t wanna get in trouble for staying out here, right?”

The other two nodded. But, before they could start their ascent up the stairs, there was an arm slamming down on Akira’s and Ryuji’s shoulders.

“Now…. where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Akira gulped.

Kamoshida had arrived before they could get out of the way.

_ Fuck. _

\---

“I don’t know what the  _ fuck _ you brats think that you’re up to, but it’s gone on too far.”

In one of his fists, Akira could see one of the calling cards crumpled inside, the red and black design poking through.

_ Well, he saw it. That’s mission accomplished, I guess. _

While completing their goal was nice, it was hard to enjoy that with his grip tearing into her shoulder.

“Now, you brats are coming with me. I have to dole out the proper punishment for your actions, now don’t I?” He laughed to himself, “How about an In School Suspension? Don’t worry, I’ll watch you three  _ myself _ .”

Akira’s eyes frantically darted to meet her companions’. Ryuji had completely shut down, his eyes glazed over and moist with his frustration. Ann had a slight bit of fury behind her gaze, but her hands were too busy scratching at her arms to be able to truly react.

And Akira?

She was five seconds away from a panic attack.

“B-but… the agreement?” she managed to gasp.

Kamoshida only continued to laugh in response. “Oh, that? Well, maybe you shouldn’t have made such a public attack on me? Slander is illegal, you know?”

He brought his mouth right next to her ear and whispered, “But, I may be willing to look it over… for a price.”

The air caught in Akira’s throat.

“Now, come with me, all three of you. I have  _ plans _ .”

Numbly, all three followed his push towards his office.

\---

“What the hell?” Kawakami let out a bone-deep sigh at the absolute mayhem in the hallways. 

When she was sure no one was looking, she stooped down to grab one of the garish flyers that were littering the school. 

Her eyes flew open instantly, shock wiping away all remnants of exhaustion that had remained.

“Who… did…. This….?”

_ It couldn’t be Kurusu, Takamaki, or Sakamoto, could it? I mean… Kurusu was sick yesterday, Takamaki visited Suzui, and Sakamoto took Kurusu her homework. _

_ But who else would know this stuff? And be brave enough to say something? _

She froze once more. 

_ Was this why Kurusu was sick? But Sakura-san was so sure as to how sick she was, he even gave me a temperature…. _

_ What the hell is going on? _

She was kicked out of her inner puzzling by a glimpse of gold hair out of the corner of her eyes.

Kamoshida was dragging the trio in question with, honestly, the creepiest face she’d ever seen on him since they had started working together. Kurusu’s face swiveled around to try as if looking for something and zeroed in on Kawakami’s face as their eyes met one another. Pleading.

Kamoshida, however, noticed this, and grabbed her head and turned it back forward forcefully. His lips were right up against Kurusu’s ears and she had to watch as her student’s body went rigid instantaneously.

_ Oh, fuck this. _

Pushing up the sleeves of her sweater, Kawakami made her way over to the group and not too calmly placed her hand on Kamoshida’s shoulder.

“Excuse me. You mind not manhandling the students you were expressed forbidden to be near?”

“Well, seeing as they’re the ones behind all of these blatant attacks on me, I would say that situation is moot.”

“Do you have proof?”

“Not yet… but I will.”

“Mmmmm. No.”

“No? What…”

She held up her phone to show him that her finger was twitching closer and closer to the “Sojiro Sakura” button on her call screen.

“Fuck.”

“We can talk about this again…  _ once _ you have proof. But, until then, shove off.”

He growled as he pushed the three teens away from him, muttering about bitches and bullshit and how no one appreciated him and his work. 

“Kawakami-senpai!”

“Thank you!”

“I don’t know what we would have done without you… He... “ Takamaki’s face spun away.

Kawakami kneeled down to help the girl up before waving the teens into her classroom. 

“So. You guys okay?”

The three teens shuddered. Kurusu eventually spoke up. “Not… really. But, we will be, soon. We just… gotta persevere, y’know? He said some vile things on the way up here, but we’ll make it work.”

“I’m half thinking of starting to wait downstairs and chaperoning you up each morning that he decides to come into work from now on.”

Sakamoto chuckled, “That honestly might not be the worst idea. At least until things start to clear up.”

“Though we hope that’s sooner than later…” Takamaki cut in with a pointed statement. 

“Sakura-san and I are working on things as fast as we can.” She bit her lip. “Also… if it wouldn’t be too much, can I ask you at lunch for a report on what he said to you… like the threats and insinuations and such? He broke his agreement, and we can use it as further proof for the case.”

“Sure thing, Kawakami-senpai!”

“We’re… really grateful for the amount of work you’ve put into helping us. It… it means a lot.” Kurusu mumbled out.

“You’re the best!”

Smiling at them, “Thank you for helping me to finally make the school safer. Now, you have to get to class, and do it now, before you can actually get in trouble.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the three responded.

\---

Ryuji’s leg was practically hyperspeed as he stared at the clock tick down to the bell. 

Crazy teacher be damned, he was packing his bag in the last minute before the bell, eager to get out the door and get this shitty heist over with. 

Plus, they needed to get outside the school without running to Kamoshida again. 

_ I really hope whatever the hell it is that we do changes him asap, I don’t wanna have to play this hiding game forever. _

His thoughts were interrupted by the bell  _ finally _ going off. Before anything could get in his way, he all but vaulted over the desks and out the door. Going as fast as his leg would allow, he made it to the lobby in record time. He slowed down just enough to not get chewed out by the staff that was always situated there to ensure people like him didn’t just sprint out of the school, like he was doing, and speedwalked his way through the lobby.

Clear of the doors, he hopped down the steps and passed over the throughway to the alley facing the school. Anxiously, he looked around to make sure no one had followed him, and then started to limber up while waiting for the girls. He had his toes against the wall in a calf stretch when he heard two people approaching him.

“Ryuji!” He couldn’t help it. He whipped around beaming as Akira’s voice hit his ears.

“Hey! You guys ready?” He pushed away from the wall and gripped his bicep, flexing.

Akira gave him a strong thumbs up while Ann laughed into her hand at his reaction to Akira’s arrival.

“Well then, let’s go! Ann, you should do the honors!”

“Hell yeah.” She smirked as the world around phased to red.

\---

The three teens let out a sigh of relief as their cat companion changed forms. 

“Oh, thank God Kamoshida can’t follow us here.” Panther slid down the alleyway wall, hugging her mask.

“Agreed.” Joker rolled her shoulders to get a kink out, “Let’s rest here for a few minutes before jumping in. I know I’m already on edge from Kamoshida dodging all day.”

“Same!” Skull burst out as he flopped on the ground.

Mona scurried off of Joker’s shoulder before snapping his fingers, Calling Card materializing in his hand.

“Well… since we have a moment, let’s talk about the Calling Card!” Mona’s tail was swishing.

“Oh, yeah! I snatched one, but I didn’t get a chance to truly look at it! I didn’t want to draw suspicion.” Joker leaned over to swipe the card from Mona.

“Suguru Kamosida. 

The utter bastard of lust.

We know how shitty you are and that you put your twisted desires on students that can’t fight back. That’s why we have decided to steal away those desires and take the contents of your heart. Tomorrow, we will strike.

From, 

  
The Phantom Thieves of Heart”

“Nice.” Joker commented after finishing reading it. “But… I do have to admit I can see why it was that he immediately knew it had to be us.”

“I mean… he already knew we were the only ones who would ever fight him. I could have made it flowery and shit and he still would have known.” Skull was crossing his legs now as he continued laying on the floor.

“You’re right… and since you did the piecemeal letters thing… there’s no legal way they can decipher it was us. Right now his only ‘proof’ is that we don’t like him… and to explain that, he has to admit to the abuse… so. I think we’re safe.”

“It was a bit simple… but we are on a tight schedule.” Mona admitted.

“Yeah!” Skull threw a fist up in the air.

“Also, I have to give it to Skull, he did  _ amazing _ at coming up with a quick plan to get away with everything super fast.” Panther turned to Mona.

“Really? Tell me what you did, Skull?”

“Yeah.. I saw Panther leaving the bathroom very carefully…” Joker added.

Skull hoisted himself up to a sitting position. “Yeah. So… I knew we’d have to sneak into school between the night janitors and the teachers showing up in the morning. And, well, I know when that is because of early morning runs….” he bit his lip. “Also, I knew that we have the cameras and such, and that, well, I have a really noticeable limp.” his hand flew down to his leg without thinking. “So, I asked Panther to do it for me. Not only does she not have a crazy limp, but she also, you know, does that modeling stuff. So… she’s good at standing or walking in ways differently than she normally would, you know?”

“Wait. Really?” Panther cut in.

“Yeah. You’ve showed me all the different types of walks that you had to learn once, in like middle school, and so I thought that’d be useful.”

“And then you also told me to bring the actual school uniform  _ on top _ of my normal outfit. And you threw one of your hoodies at me.”

“Well, duh. Your red leggings and hair stick out. So, if you looked normal… and had your head covered, there would be no reason for you to blamed…” 

Joker cut in as Skull trailed off, “And then you had her change in the bathroom and wait for the rest of the school to arrive! So she looked as she always does and not like the person who put them all up!”

“That’s incredible, Skull!” Mona was bouncing back in forth. “You truly outdid yourself this time!”

Skull’s face was bright red as he scratched the back of his head. “It wasn’t that crazy or nothing. I just wanted to make sure all the pieces fit together, and I knew that Joker needed sleep, so I couldn’t bother her. So… I had to make it good enough to not make her worry.”

Panther’s hand flew up to hide her smirk as Joker gave a tiny gasp. Joker knelt down in front of Skull and beamed. “You did amazing. I was so worried while I was sick yesterday, and now I know that you had everything taken care of. Thank you, Skull.”

She held out her hand to help him up and he nervously took it. 

“Skull. You did great. Thank you for being there and taking control of things while I was out of commission.”

He anxiously scratched his head once more, “It was nothing…”

She cut back in, “Accept my compliment. You helped me out. Helped us all out. Own that.”

“Fine... “ he paused for a moment before looking her in the eyes and grinning, “I got you. That’s what I’m here for, Joker. Glad to be of service!”

“Much better.” Joker matched Skull’s grin before pivoting and running towards the Palace gates with his wrist in her hand. 

“Phantom Thieves of Heart, move out!” 

\---

The moment they finished their jump into the last Safe Room, they all froze. 

“Why does it feel so…” Panther shivered.

“Tense?” Joker finished for her.

“Yeah.”

“The Palace Leader knows we’re here.” Mona answered.

“Huh?” 

“Think about it. We pretty much declared war this morning with those Calling Cards, he knows we’re coming. So, he’s on high alert, hoping to catch us before we steal his treasure.”

“Oh, you mean like how the air would sometimes get testy when an enemy would see us before we could strike?” 

“Just like that, Skull!”

“And when we did that… Kamoshida got testy with us in real life. Now he knows we’re trying to steal something from him in real life and tried to jump us in the real world, and so he’s  _ majorly _ on edge in here.”

Joker chewed her lip for a moment. “That does make sense, Panther.” she sighed, “Hope you guys are ready to be sneaky. I don’t wanna have to deal with any enemies when everything is on high alert like this. The only person I even want to  _ think _ about fighting is Kamoshida himself.”

“Got it!” The all gave her a thumbs up.

“Rock and roll!” She called out over her shoulder as she pushed the doors to the Safe Room open.

\---

Stepping into the air outside of the Safe Room was like the first steps into a sauna, thick and heavy.

Joker let out an involuntary hiss as she pressed through the oppressive air. Only to look up and see that the Throne Room doors were wide open.

“Is it a trap?” she heard Skull mutter behind her. 

“Good question, I’m gonna peek.” She whispered to them before leaning into the opening to check things out.

She double checked before turning back, “It’s… empty.”

“I bet he sent everyone to the front gates, not knowing we could jump around!” Mona bounced in excitement.

“Well then, let’s get in and out before he even thinks to look back here!” Panther giggled before pushing off and up the stairs.

“Last one there’s a rotten egg!” Mona whooped.

Joker grabbed Skull’s wrist before he could run off, “Hey, conserve your energy, we have no idea how much running you might have to do later. Plus… someone actually has to pay attention to make sure there’s no surprises.”

“You’re right. Thanks.” he smiled at her before rotating his hand to make her wrist grab into a handhold.

“What?”

“Just to make sure we’ve got each other.” He said, a lot smoother than his bright red face that refused to meet her eyes would have projected him doing.

“Of course.” her face was also beet red as she let out an awkward laugh before starting up the stairs to follow Panther and Mona, Skull in tow. 

Once they had gotten to the top of the stairs, the blushes on both of their faces started to go down, their hands had become less stiff…. Only to have Panther spin around to meet them.

“Hey slowpokes…. Oh. Not the timing I would have expected, but okay. High emotions, high emotions.”

“What are you talking about?” Skull’s hackles were up.

“Nothing, nothing.” she waved him off.

“I just.. Didn’t want him to run off in case we need to run later…” Joker tapered off. 

“So you’re holding him close, are you?”

Joker glares for a second before letting out a quick laugh. “Guess so.”

Off in the distance, Mona’s voice carries over to them.

“Guys! Get over here quick! I’m gonna need your help!”

Teasing forgotten, the teens made their way over to their cat companion, who was leaping to and fro on top of a giant crown.

“Of course his treasure is the symbol of being a king, fucking prick.” Joker muttered under her breath as she headed over to help hoist the crown up.

“Thank goodness we don’t have too far to take this thing.” Panther sighed.

“The stairs are gonna be a bitch though.” Skull mumbled.

Mona swayed back and forth next them awkwardly.

“Hey, Mona, can you keep watch for us, like, scout ahead and such, and call out obstacles. That’d be a  _ giant _ help.” Joker asked him.

“Yeah!” Mona’s whole body shook with glee at having a helpful thing to do when everything shifted suddenly for Joker.

_ Snap _

**_A chain has been broken. The Magician has removed another bond that is keeping us back._ **

_ What? How? _

**_You know how to connect and make him feel included. And he desires to support you more for it._ **

_ I’ll… talk with him more about it later. _

**_Now is a little busy… now…._ **

_ Yes? _

**_Put your back into it, carry with your legs._ **

_ Shut up. _

**_*Laughter*_ **

Shaking herself back into focus, she noticed that they had already made their way halfway down the stairs during her chat with Adler.

At her sudden regained awareness, she lost her body’s natural rhythm and tripped the rest of the way down the stairs, the crown tumbling with her. As she narrowly avoided being squished by the headpiece, she instead found herself hitting a pair of feet.

A pair of… naked feet.

She gulped as she looked up to see Kamoshida’s Shadow leering down at her, licking his lips as he made eye contact.

“Get the hell away from her, you bastard!” Skull leapt down the stairs and kicked him away from Joker, before helping her off the floor.

Kamoshida only laughed in return.

“Look at you brats. You think you’re all high and mighty because you managed to make signs and shit. But then you turn around and trip, and you get all scared and defensive. Pathetic. And then you managed to mess up even you supposed “big heist” to steal from me.” he laughs once more, “you even bring my crown right to me. How  _ kind _ of you.”

“Someone has to bring you down!” Panther called out.

“You can’t be allowed to continue this shit!” Joker echoed her, leaning into Skull.

“Girls, do you understand why the hell these idiots are spouting this shit?” Kamoshida called out over his shoulder. The Shadow versions of Ann and Akira were laughing in the background.

“Absolutely  _ no  _ clue.” Shadow Ann drawled.

“They just don’t understand your goodness.” Shadow Akira quietly added.

“Goodness? Don’t even get me started on that shit!” Skull lashed out.

“Everything I was doing was to make everyone else better!” Kamoshida growled out.

“Raping the kids was to make them better? Beating the shit out of them made them better? Pushing them to suicide makes them better? Keeping all of your sins a secret makes things better?” Panther ground out between clenched teeth.

Kamoshida laughed once more. “I wasn’t the one who made everything a secret! I never made it a secret! Everyone chose to keep it under wraps. The principal, the administration, the students, the parents, everyone chose to keep what was happening a secret!”

“He only wanted to make the team stronger and Shujin stronger! He was told to make us stronger and he did his best!” Fake Ann chimed in.

“Yeah! And he wanted to teach us girls how things would be in the adult world. And he deserved  _ something _ in exchange for helping put Shujin on the map!” Fake Akira cheered. The two girls had made their way over to Kamoshida and were lounging themselves over him.

Skull turned to Joker and whispered an apology before fully bearing his teeth towards Kamoshida. “You knew I was the only one who wouldn’t stay quiet! If you were so okay with everything you were doing being open… then  **_why did you silence me?_ ** ” he screamed while setting off two electric bursts that caused the fake girls to explode into mist once more.

At once, the confident veneer that Kamoshida had vanished. Eyes wide, he took a step back while gulping.

“Everyone was just… so happy to give me free reign in exchange for raising them up well. Why? Why can’t you brats accept the status quo? The way of the world? I would have gotten you to a place for you to do well. You can’t change things, you’re gonna have to face the music eventually. So… why do you have to fight me? You’re just gonna end up like that idiot who tried to kill herself!” Kamoshida was rambling now.

“We were only idiots for not realizing that no one else was willing to help us before now. Which is why we’re here, since no one else would be. We sure as hell don’t need your permission to live our lives!” Panther’s arms had flames dancing around them.

Kamoshida gulped once more, “I mean, well. You know? I just….” he froze for a second to approach the crown and rub one of the jewels to try and calm himself down before  _ something _ snapped.

His face contorted from the fear that had been plastered across his face to deadly rage. 

“Shut up, you fucking whore of a peasant. I’m above you.  _ I’m  _ **_above EVERYBODY!_ ** ” He roared.

“Above? You mean beneath. There’s no other way you could, as a full adult, justify hurting a passionate high schooler so he can’t achieve his dreams. Just because he had promise. Only the most pathetic on earth would try to justify that.” Joker laughed at Kamoshida as she grabbed Skull’s hand once more, standing her ground in the wake of his growing anger.

Instead of using words to respond, Kamoshida just bellowed as his body suddenly started to transform.

The Thieves took a step back, disgusted at the sight before them.

The already vile man was bubbling over, skin turning purple as it expanded and contorted. His bellowing cry was slowly matched by a cacophony of other voices as the Volleyball prisoners from the depths of the castle were hoisted up by their chains to support him. Once his massive hand was formed, he snapped it to have a plate full of women in front of them, all of them classmates that the kids could recognize. Ann, Akira, and Suzui were all there, adorning the plate.

At the end of the transformation, a massive, purple Kamoshida was now taking up half of the throne room laughing maniacally as the crown was now the proper size to fit his head. 

“You fucking peasants! Now you will see who is above who! You  _ pathetic _ worms!” he laughed as he picked up the fork and knife from the woman plate, his laughter shaking the whole room.

“I guess we get to have that fight with him after all.” Skull grinned as he snapped his lead pipe into existence.

“As nice as it may have been to actually get out of this scot-free, I can’t deny that I was really hoping for the chance to kick his ass.” Panther was already giving a few test cracks of her whip.

“I’m glad you guys are up for a fight.” Joker spun her knife a few times.

“We got to get that crown off of him and back in our hands! We can’t leave without the crown!” Mona called out leaping onto the edge of his scimitar to try and see all of Kamoshida.

The already tense air became suffocating as the giant man in front of them focused his attention on their figures. His eyes swept across their party, barely even registering Mona, but pausing on Skull, Panther, and Joker each. Watching his face contort into undeniable longing as his attention focused on Panther was enough to make her snap. 

With a yell, she twisted herself to get a better angle to crack her whip towards Kamoshida’s face, hitting his hand as he held it up to defend himself.

She scoffed at the lack of damage her basic attack did, curling her lip as a gesture to Joker. Who then ran forward, slashing at the knees of the monstrocity in front of her. 

Once again, the attack was all but deflected, leering eyes never moving from the girls.

Skull, enraged, burst forward, pipe in hand, trying to hit the same spot as Joker, hoping that the repeated hits would eventually cause a mark. 

He didn’t even make contact.

Kamoshida’s hand swiped down and pushed him back, furious at Skull even trying to approach.

Mona took that distraction from Skull and snuck around, slashing the bottom of Kamoshida’s foot while he was glaring at Skull.

Blood started pouring out of the sole of his foot as he howled. Not recognizing Mona still, he swiped once more at Skull, slamming him back into the girls. 

“Okay, that didn’t go as planned.” Panther muttered.

“Yeah. He’s a bit…. Focused on the three of us.” Joker cringed, “For differing reasons.”

“Effing bastard has it out for me. And needs to stop staring at you guys!”

Mona slunk back over to them. 

“Sorry, Skull. I didn’t think he’d try to attack you after I struck.”

“How… did you get to him?” Joker mused.

“Wait! That’s it! He knows  _ us. _ He doesn’t know Mona! Mona doesn’t even register to him as a real issue.” Panther beamed at Mona, “He thinks everything is Skull’s fault, and is too obsessed with us to not notice us trying to strike. But… Mona.”

“That’s… brilliant.” Joker blinked at Panther.

“Ugh, we have to play decoy?” Skull grimaced.

“Wait.. how have we had the time to talk this all out?” Mona paused before they turned back to the enemy across the room from them.

Who was just… leering at Panther and Joker.

“Are you for real? He’s so shitty that he can’t even fight because of them?” Skull’s scowl was only becoming more pronounced.

“As much as I hate this… we can use it to our advantage.” 

“I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I, but at least we get to kick his ass this time while he is a lech.”

“Wait, what is he doing?” Mona cut in once more as Kamoshida finally stopped clutching his cut foot. 

He glared once more at Skull before grabbing his fork. 

“Oh shit, is he going to attack?” they prepared to dodge as Kamoshida instead used the fork to stab one of the girls on his plate, the Setter from 2-B, Emi, and ate her.

“What the fuck.” Joker breathed.

“His effing leg is healing!” Skull called out as the skin on Kamoshida’s foot was closing itself back up.

“We can’t let him eat another woman!” Panther cried out over the sounds of disgust from Skull.

“How can we stop him?”

“The fork! Let’s destroy his fork! He was using that to grab them! If we destroy that… we should be able to stop him from grabbing them!”

“You heard Mona, focus your attacks on his silverware! If he doesn’t have them, he can’t heal himself!” Joker commanded the Thieves. 

“Gladly.” Panther spun around once more, summon Carmen this time as she wrapped her whip around the base of the fork. Sending Carmen’s fire down the ship, she turned up the heat on the fork until the giant had to drop it.

“Now!” Joker cried out as she and Skull dove to grab the errant silverware, lugging it behind them as they tried to avoid Kamoshida’s ire. 

At the realization that his precious fork had been stolen, Kamoshida was driven into a rage, flailing his limbs and shaking the room. At the height of his rage, he crashed the knife that was in his other hand into the plate of women in front of him, shattering the plate at once and causing the whole ‘meal’ to dissipate back into dust.

“Mission accomplished!” Panther’s pride was shining in her voice.

“That was  _ so cool  _ Panther!” Mona’s tail was shaking.

“Okay guys, now it’s time to figure out how to deal damage.” Joker’s eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out a weak point.

\---

The team tried fruitlessly to truly leave a mark on the giant Kamoshida. The only one able to get through his defenses was still Mona. And, well, he couldn’t defeat the man all on his own.

Kamoshida’s lecherous eyes never left Panther or Joker, leaving them unable to really lead an assault that would actually touch his skin. And any time Skull even attempted to hit Kamoshida, he’d be hit across the room.

In their impasse, Kamoshida had started to become braver. Realizing that his plate was gone, and yet he still was getting mysterious injuries, he instead tried to heal himself using the only women left in the room, Panther and Joker. So, his Lickitung tongue started creeping its way across to them, trying to snatch them up. 

Which led to Skull standing guard between Joker and Panther, and smacking the tongue away from them. 

Slowly, but surely, there were signs of wear and tear showing on Kamoshida’s tongue. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough damage, and it was only his tongue. The rest of him was still a threat they couldn’t truly approach besides the papercuts Mona was leaving.

“Mona, come back here for a moment.” Joker called out between Mona’s swipes.

“You got a new plan, Joker?” Mona did his best to sound cheerful, but the exhaustion from the fruitless attacks was starting to get to him.

“This isn’t working. We need to get him back down to size.”

“Well… the crown is what made him grow to be like this in the first place…. Why don’t we go after the crown?” Panther chimed in.

The rest of the team blinked at Panther. 

“Perfect.” Joker smiled.

“But.. how do we get it?” Skull asked as he smashed his pipe against Kamoshida’s tongue once more.

“Mona.”

“I can’t just climb up his head! He might not be paying attention to me, but I can’t just sit on his nose while I try to get the thing off!”

“Look, the railing. The crown is, like, at perfect height with the 2nd floor railing.” Joker quickly pointed.

Mona blinked a few times, “You’re right.”

“So, we keep playing decoy and battering his tongue… while you sneak up and knock the damn thing off. The shock of it should at least let us get in some good hits with his defense down. Finally.” she sighed as she massaged her face.

“On it!” Mona saluted.

“Be careful! I’d rather you take your time and get it right than rush it and make it so we can’t get past his defenses. Be smart!” she pointed at him before receiving another salute. She gave herself another moment to watch his small figure retreat before turning back to Kamoshida.

“Y’all ready for more of this bullshit.”

“Never!” Panther cheerfully answered her, coaxing a small laugh out of the three of them.

Once more, the tongue sped across the room, trying to snake its way around one of the girls. Skull, excited to actually have a plan, summoned Cap’n Kidd. Electricity coursing through his body, it jumped from his arms to his metal pipe. With practiced aim, he slammed the pipe into the tongue once more.

The added electricity boost caused Kamoshida to squeal as he sucked his tongue back towards him.

“What the fuck was that about, you peasant!” The figure screamed. 

Taking advantage of the outrage, Mona clamored his way up the column, diving behind the flowers at the top before the man could notice him there.

“Just nice to see you be the one in pain instead of us!” Skull bellowed back.

“You little brat! Why don’t you know your place!” Kamoshida roared, flailing his limbs once more as he realized his tongue still wasn’t working right.

“Now!” Joker yelled.

“Take this, asshole!” Mona yowled as he leapt onto the man’s head. Using his scimitar, he pried the crown off of Kamoshida’s head, kicking it off of the man once he had leverage.

“What! WHAT!  **_WHAT!_ ** ” Kamoshida’s yells were escalating, the room not only shaking but shifting. Dust started to fall from the ceiling in his rage.

“ **NOW!** ” Joker screamed over the chaos, knife in hand.

Joker and Mona dove for the hands, stabbing their blades through them, holding him in place. 

Panther’s whip, engulfed once more in flames, wrapped itself around Kamoshida’s neck, stopping him from biting any of them.

And Skull, electricity coursing along his skin, popping and dancing, drove his pipe home right into the center of Kamoshida’s face.

As the blood coursed freely from Kamoshida’s broken nose, Skull stood back up and grinned before slamming his still electrified pipe into both of the giant’s eyes, sending electricity all the way to the man’s brain.

The rage filled screaming turned into painful howling as the man that they conspired to beat slowly started to transform back into his human sized form.

The wretch of a man eventually was lying on the ground, crying, as he clutched the crown as tightly as he could. Some of his skin tried to turn purple once more, but the pain was too strong to enable yet another transformation.

The Thieves surrounded the man on the ground, pointing their guns at him in case he tried to get back up.

“Why did you all have to attack me? I haven’t hurt anyone at all! Everything I did, I was asked to do!” 

Panther and Joker both arched one eyebrow at him.

“What you did to us was consensual?” Joker prodded him with her gun.

“Because I know we openly did not agree.” Panther gave an depreciative laugh.

Kamoshida blinked at them both as if this was entirely new information to him. 

“And did you really think I asked you to shatter my leg?” Skull’s shotgun was edging closer to Kamoshida’s leg.

“I didn’t break your leg as a punishment! I broke it to teach you a lesson!”

Skull’s face contorted with rage as he slammed his shotgun butt into Kamoshida’s leg. The blow pushed the man backwards and shocked him into action. He grabbed the fallen crown once more and ran from the group towards the balcony.

“Why are you running from us, you loser!” Mona growled out.

The Thieves took chase and cornered him on the balcony. Once more, Kamoshida falls to his knees before them.

“They demanded all of this shit from me. They wanted to put Shujin on the map, they wanted a star Volleyball team, they wanted to win. And I did all of that, I fulfilled every demand, above and beyond their expectations. Was it… was it too wrong for me to want something in return?” He implored.

“That’s a weird fucking excuse for disabling a star athlete who would have put Shujin on the map just because he was helping others. And is a weird way to justify breaking the law and  _ raping _ students.” Joker pistol whipped him, knocking him back onto his ass. 

Kamoshida tried to scoot further away fro the encroaching teens, but hit the railing. He frantically looked over his shoulder, over the edge of the balcony. Once he understood the situation he was in, he gulped and started gasping for air.

“Scared?” Panther stepped forward. “That’s the same view Shiho had. Before she jumped.” She swallowed. “I’m sure she was scared too. But she had no easy way out.” Her eyes narrowed. “You do. Give us the crown.”

Kamoshida just gaped at her as her whole body flew up in flames. All except for the one hand that was outstretched towards the crown that Kamoshida was still cradling in his arms.

“It’s your call, Panther. We promised you the final choice and the final blow.” Mona called out to her from behind Kamoshida, causing the man to startle again. Mona perched himself on the railing behind him, prepared to snatch the crown in an instant.

“He’s right, Panther. You know that we don’t care either way.” Joker added, flippantly.

Panther takes a moment to decide, juggling fire between her hands as she considers it.

“It’s either life in jail or the end of his life. Either way, he’s out of our lives and he’s gone, forever. It’s literally a win/win situation.” Skull reminded her, making sure she truly knew that she would be supported regardless.

“Wait! Wait! Please forgive me! I beg of you!” Kamoshida flipped himself so he was kneeling prostate in front of Panther, head to the ground.

She placed her heeled foot atop his head, pushing it further into the ground. “Shut up. I bet that’s what you told everyone after you took  _ everything _ from them. Just like me. Just like Ryuji. Just like Akira.  _ Just like Shiho. _ So  **_no. I will not forgive you._ ** ” Panther ground out through clenched teeth as she reared her arm back, fire ablaze. 

She launched the fireball forward, missing his head by barely an inch, the hair on his head singed from the impact. 

And he screamed out in fear, anticipating the blow, Mona dove forward and grabbed the crown from his side, the man finally dropping it to hug himself.

Mona joined the other Phantom Thieves, throwing the crown up to Joker, who was now spinning it around her finger, smirking down at the sad state of the man who had destroyed them all. 

Realizing they had the treasure once more, Kamoshida moved up the the sitting position and wrapped his arms around his legs. 

“You… You have the right to take me out. If you do…. I will die in the real world. It won’t be immediate, but I will stop functioning and just waste away.”

“Apathy Syndrome…” Joker breathed under her breath.

“Exactly. I’m amazed someone as young as you knows about that…” Kamoshida gave Joker a weak smile. “I knew you had to be an impressive person to get into Shujin, especially with your record going against you. I guess… I guess that’s why I needed to silence you.”

Joker took a step back, the complement cutting a little too close for comfort.

“Get the FUCK away from her!” Panther snapped as she threw another fireball.

Skull screamed.

The fireball landed against the railing Kamoshida was leaning up against.

“What was that about?” Panther turned to Skull.

“I just… I didn’t want you to become a murderer. I know I said it was your choice, and it is. And that I would support you regardless, which I would. But… I’m scared about your becoming a murderer… what that would do to you.” Skull admitted, light still missing from his eyes.

“If his mind shuts down, he can’t admit his crimes.” Panther stated plainly.

“You’re so kind, Panther.” Mona said in awe.

“This isn’t kindness. This is playing the long game of vengeance. He admits his sins, all the weights on us can be lifted, and he has to suffer the  _ rest of his life. _ ” 

The group had turned away from Kamoshida, and were starting their way out when his quiet voice called out to them one last time.

“What…. What do I do now?”

“Atone for your sins.” Joker callously replied.

“Okay. I’ll…. I’ll go back to my true self. And I’ll devote the rest of my life to making up for this.”

With a final nod towards the Thieves, Kamoshida shone with a brilliant ray of light and dissipated into the sky. There was a moment of light in the sky before the darkness took over tenfold as the castle started shaking.

“The Palace is collapsing! Without a leader anymore, the Palace can’t exist!” Mona screeched.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Skull repeated, hightailing it for the exit.

“Hold onto that crown, Joker!” Panther jumped off the railing to the main floor of the throne room.

“Stay together! We have to stay together!” Joker called out to them as she followed Panther’s movement plan.

They continued their way down the winding hallways and strange places, grateful that all of the Shadows seemed to be on the same page as them and were already far away from the Palace.

As they got to the main hall and prepared to jump across the chandeliers, Panther and Mona sprinted off ahead.

“I’m so glad we practiced this before!” Panther whooped from the adrenaline.

Skull attempted to follow the same pattern as the other two, but slipped. His leg buckled as it made purchaise with the metal, causing him to fall backwards, slamming his back into the stone wall of the walkway. He slipped before he could get out of his shock and grab something. 

Joker, who had wanted to make sure Skull could make it before she crossed, saw this and leapt. 

_ Please let me grab him, please let me grab him. _

She dove and just barely slammed his hand into the stone wall once more, pressing hard enough to keep him in place as she repositioned herself to hoist him back up. 

“I’m so sorry, Skull. But I can’t let you fall here.” 

The walls were shaking around them, and the roof was starting to crumble and break apart. She managed to get him upright and held his arm as they made their way across the ceiling of the room, bracing him for all of the jarring landings. 

As they touched down on the stones on the other side, the shaking of the ceiling increased, causing the chandeliers to collapse and fall down, crashing to the floor below.

“This way! I opened up a side door here!” Joker cried out as she kicked open the side gate, opening the way to the main stairs.

Leaping over the fallen bricks and chandeliers, the group barrelled their way to the main doors, slamming them open with the impact of their bodies. Back outside of the castle at last, the group allowed themselves to just roll forward from the impact with the doors and just lay there.

The castle next to them had finished imploding upon itself and was just rubble as far as the eye could see.

Joker pushed herself up onto her elbows to see the wreckage as the world started to twist and change once more from the red to the vibrant colors of the real world. 

\---

The group was quiet for a solid moment while they all just laid on the ground in the alleyway.

Eventually, Ann had to break the silence, “You know, I think we all better stand up. It would  _ not _ look good to have us all lying catatonic on the ground in an alleyway.”

“Dammit. You’re right.” Ryuji sighed as he grabbed the wall and used it to get himself up. He walked over to Ann and gave her a hand before walking over to Akira and helping her stand as well.

Once she was up, Akira slipped her arm through Ryuji’s and beamed at the group.

“We did it!” 

“Holy shit… we beat Kamoshida.”

“Did we really?”

“Check the Metanav!” Morgana stuck his head out of the bag that was still on the ground. “If we truly stopped him, his Palace should be gone.”

“Good idea!” Ryuji boomed as he fished out his phone and pulled up the Metanav app.

**“Destination has been deleted.”**

“It worked.” Ann blinked.

“It worked!” Akira cheered.

“We did it!” Ryuji crowed.

The teens had a moment to smile at one another before Morgana bit his lip.

“But… the treasure. Where is it? I don’t see a crown anywhere… Did we lose it?” His eyes were wide as he tried to think about what that could mean.

“Don’t worry, gottem.” Akira replied with a wink, pulling an Olympic medal out of her jacket.

“Holy shit, it’s his Olympic Medal. How did we get that?” Ryuji anxiously pattered on, trying to understand what was going on.

“I mean… his crown was like the symbol of him being the king, being the best. I bet this medal is the same to him in the real world. So, the symbol became the real thing, you know?” Akira bit her lip as she worked out her explanation.

“Yeah!” Morgana continued Akira’s explanation, “That was the source of Kamoshida’s desires. I bet he started thinking he could get away with shit after he won that. So, that was the thing that set him on his current twisted path!”

“That means… Kamoshida’s heart has been changed, right? Since we took the thing that twisted his heart away from his heart?” Ryuji questioned, double checking that he understood.

“Hopefully.” Ann toed the ground.

“We’ll know soon enough.” Akira’s reply was exhausted.

“It might take a few days for the full change… but we should know even by tomorrow if  _ something _ happened.” Morgana tried to cheer everyone up.

“Oh yeah! Like we knew yesterday that he knew we had done  _ something _ after we went to the Palace!” Ryuji fist pumped.

“So,” Akira smiled, “let’s be on the lookout tomorrow at school.”

“Hey, we know the Palace is gone, so we know we did something right! We definitely did something!” Morgana reminded everyone.

“I just wish I knew now.” Ryuji pouted.

“Come on, why are you all so sad and worried? We did it!” Morgana’s tail started to droop.

“Because we don’t know if we’re safe yet, Morgana. It just.. It feels too good to be real until we see it ourselves.” Joker sadly smiled at the youthfulness of the cat.

“Yeah, it’s hard to be able to be calm until we know  _ for sure _ that he’s out of our lives. Especially since this was our last shot.” Ann was playing with her hair now.

“Nothing else we  _ can  _ do. So, we should get out of this alley before we get in trouble.” Akira glanced over at the alley entrance anxiously.

Ann sighed, “True.”

“We should go home and sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, and I know  _ I’m _ exhausted.” Morgana yawned.

The group all nodded at that and started to slowly amble back towards the trains. The ride to Shibuya was silent for them all, grateful to no longer be running for their lives.

As they started to walk their separate ways to get to their different transfers, Ryuji stops for a moment and grabs Akira’s wrist.

“Hey… wait a sec.” he was biting his lip.

“You okay, Ryu?” 

“That’s what I wanted to ask you, Kira.” Before she could answer, he barrelled forward, “I know you think you’re doing fine right now. Mission accomplished and all that, you’re just tired or whatever. I get it. But… if you start to feel bad. Let me know. Please. Even if you just get slightly sad. Or feel creeped out by today. Just… you don’t have to be alone in your bad feelings. I’ll do my best to text you back if you just wanna talk.”

Akira’s eyes furrowed, confused by the sincerity of the request.

“Please, just… just think about it, okay? This has been hard for us all, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to shoulder it all on your own.”

Akira gave a small nod, tears starting to well in the corners of her eyes.

Ryuji quickly closed the gap between them and enveloped her in a massive hug, refusing to let go for anything.

“Thank you. You’re amazing.”

She returned the hug just as strongly.

\---

The door to Leblanc finally rang to announce Akira’s entrance.

“Hey! Good to have you home again, brat.” Boss waved to her, a sigh coming from his entire body in relief.

“Hey, Boss.”

“Hey, kid… You’re looking mighty tired. Are you okay?”

“I… I pushed myself. I probably shouldn't have gone to school today.”

He scoffed at that, “I could have told you that.”

“I know…” She tapered off, “I just really wanted to do something for Suzui today. And, well, I think I did something to really help her and Ann out today! So, I’m super exhausted, but I’m also pretty happy!”

Sojiro’s agitated scoff turned into a soft smile. “I’m glad. But remember, it’s all well and good to help Suzui, and I get why you’re being so motivated, but please, remember to take care of yourself. You can’t help her if you can’t help yourself.”

“Yessir!” Akira mock saluted him.

“Well, now that you’re home safe, I’m heading out. I left you a plate for dinner in the fridge. Let me know if you need anything. I’m assuming you’re still sick. Also…” he paused on his way to the door to turn and glare at her once more, “I  _ will _ be checking your temperature again in the morning.”

“Thank you. Goodnight, Boss.” Akira waved as the door closed on her.

She slowly ambled towards the fridge and pulled out her plate.

As she waited for her food to reheat, she grabbed her phone, looked at Ryuji’s contact info a few times before curling up in the booth and crying.

Morgana crawled out of the bag and pawed at the phone, opening it up to her texts and nudged it into her hand.

“You should talk to him. He... he really wants to be there for you, I promise.” Morgana made sure to have eye contact throughout that. He only stepped away and made his way up the stairs as she started to text him.

“I’ll be upstairs, you should come up as soon as you finish dinner. Bed will be comfier than that booth.”

She gave a weak smile in response, “You’re right, you’re right. I’ll be up after dinner. And I’ll bring you a can of tuna.”

“That’s right.” Morgana chirped.

She looked back down at her phone to see 5 new messages from Ryuji, all of with were full of silly memes. 

_ Things will be alright. _

**_That they will, my child._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I finally wrote this. Woo!
> 
> Sorry about that wait. Worked a few insane weeks at work, accidentally binged multiple fandoms, am currently sick. I was really anxious because I had never written a fight scene like this before and was nervous about fucking it up. I’m doing my best, y’all. But, hey, it’s done! (we’re now officially on page 300 of my word doc I have this all written in)
> 
> A few short notes.
> 
> I changed somethings about the fight for narrative purposes. It was just easier to have a logical reason for it besides “game logic” this way. Also, having Ann and Ryuji be more than props and more than tropes really made this super satisfying to read. Like. yay. Also, changed the wording slightly of the calling card. It's very close, but not exactly identical.
> 
> Also, I really liked my plan for the Calling Card setup. Just wanted to say that.
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions about things, and I’ll try to answer them.
> 
> Also, please, please, let me know what your favorite part was and such. I really want to know if I did the action scenes right and such. 
> 
> And now we’re gonna have a bunch of shorter chapters about friendship hangouts and confidants! Yay!
> 
> <3


	15. April 23rd, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira wins Life. Morgana nopes. Ryuji loses his cool. Ann finally has a peaceful day. Sojiro is done with teenage bullshit.

Akira groaned as she heard movement around her. She rolled over in her bed to look at her phone. 

“Morgana, why are you waking me up? My alarm doesn’t go off for another few minutes…” she threw her arm over her eyes to try and go back to sleep.

“Don’t you dare go back to sleep.”

Akira shot straight up in bed, only to see Sojiro looming over her. 

“Boss?”

“I just had to make sure you weren’t going to try and sneak out again.” his lip curled at the end of that.

“Sorry… I just…” she started before he cut her off.

“Don’t with the excuses. Just freaking use this thermometer so I can decide if I’m making you breakfast or not.” he thrust the device into her hands and glared until she started to use it.

He took it from her as soon as it beeped, not trusting her to give him the correct reading, and sighed. 

“Your temp is good. Your fever has broken. How are you feeling?”

“To be honest, I’m a bit achy. But I’m sure that’s just from pushing myself yesterday rather than being sick. So, unless I, I don’t know, collapse down the stairs, I think I wanna go to school today.”

Sojiro quietly groaned to himself. “Sure, it’s your life. Just…. Just promise me you’ll reach out to me if you need me for anything. Remember, I can make up a doctor’s appointment if need be.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I will.”

“Good.” He headed towards the stairs. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Get ready.”

She waited for him to make his way down the stairs before trying to get out of bed, groaning the whole time. _We weren’t in as long as before, but yesterday was exhausting_.

With a lot more effort than usual, she slowly made her way down the stairs, taking care to not actually collapse on the stairs and make Sojiro make good on his word.

Despite her best work, he was still grimacing at her slow descent. “Are you sure you want to go in today? Your classroom is on the 2nd floor of your school.”

“I know, I know. But I feel like I should try, since I don’t have that fever. Don’t wanna create a bad precedent. Plus, I’m sure I just need to move a bit, you know, untense my muscles.” She threw in a few stretches to try and prove her point home.

It didn’t work.

Sojiro sighed as he rolled his eyes. “I think you’re an idiot. But I’m gonna be texting Kawakami about this, so she knows to have me pick you up if _she_ thinks you’re pushing yourself too far.”

Akira grit her teeth. _Dammit._

“Now sit your ass down and eat your porridge.”

“Yes, sir!”

\---

She was mostly right about her exhaustion.

It didn’t go away entirely, of course, but it did lessen for the most part by the time she arrived at school. Just needed to actually use it so it stopped locking up on her.

So, by the time she arrived at Shujin’s gates, she only had a slight limp. She was taking that as a complete success. 

As she approached the gates, she saw Ann and Ryuji waiting there for her. 

“Ummm… Is something wrong?” Akira slowly approached them, suddenly wary.

“Hi Akira!” Ann waved jovially. “There’s nothing wrong, per say… we just... “ she bit her lip.

“We don’t know if it worked… you know?” Ryuji finished for her. “So, we wanted to be like, I don’t know, a united force in case it didn’t.”

Akira sighed. “I can’t lie and say I don’t appreciate it. Or that I wasn’t worrying about that exact thing on the entire ride over here.” Looping her arms through both of her friends’ arms, she smiled at the two of them, “So, let’s figure this out together!”

They joined her in her smile and started up the steps to Shujin, slowly losing each other’s arms on their ascent. There was a slight pause at the door from Ryuji, which Akira quickly took over for and opened the door.

Right inside was Kawakami. Who seemed like she was looking for someone. 

And that someone was apparently them, as she sighed the moment the trio entered the school.

“There you guys are.” she approached them. “And you all came at the same time, that makes my life easier.”

“What… are you… why were you looking for us?” Ann questioned.

“Yesterday’s conversation? I said I might as well walk you in and out of school from now on for your safety, and I didn’t know if you took me seriously or not. So, I thought I might as well do it, at least today. Though… thankfully today will probably be the only day.” the teacher mused.

“Why would today be the only day?” Akira tilted her head in confusion while Ryuji burst out with, “Did something happen?”

The teacher gave a quiet chuckle before responding, “Yeah. You can say that.”

The three teens leaned in. 

“To the classroom. I don’t want to add to the rumor mill.”

\---

“So, Kamoshida put himself on leave. No idea how long, and he refused to give an explanation. Just that he needed some time off immediately to figure somethings out.”

All three of the teens in front of her pretty much melted from the stress leaving them.

“This… this is amazing.”

“We’re safe.”

“So quickly.”

Her brow furrowed as she went to open her mouth once more. “I have to ask though…”

The teens froze once more.

“... Do you guys have anything to do with it?” She froze for a second before sighing, “Never mind. I know you guys couldn’t have. You’ve been spending all your time with Suzui, you’ve been sick this week, and you’ve been helping Kurusu out. Never mind.” she shook her head.

The three teens stayed still for a moment or two before sighing.

“Thank you for telling us about Kamoshida.” Akira bowed.

“Yes. Thank you! We can finally stop watching our backs and second guessing everything.” Ann joined her.

“It’ll be nice to not be scared at school anymore.” Ryuji joined them, if not at the same angle.

“I’m just passing the news on. And you guys better cut it out, or others will see and ask what’s up. Now scram. You’ve got time before the bell.” She shooed them out as she took out the last few papers she had to grade from last night.

\---

Class went by in a blur. Not so much because of a lot happening, but because Akira’s mind couldn’t stop running.

_It worked. It had worked. We stopped Kamoshida._

How could she pay attention to the lecture when freedom was finally within her grasp?

Until she was called on.

“Kurusu! Stop daydreaming!”

She snapped to attention. The class laughed.

“Since you decided you were too good to listen to me, I feel it’s only right for you to answer this question… What event did Emperor Nero add to the Olympics so he could participate?”

She bit her lip for a moment.

_Emperor Nero was full of himself. And felt he was a god among men._ Her brow furrowed for a moment before she remembered something. _Rome went down as he sang and played his violin, right?_

“Anytime now?”

“Sorry! It was music related, right? Violin or singing?”

“I’ll give that to you. I didn’t even get into his violin myth yet, so I know that you actually know who Nero is, which is better than the rest of these kids.” the teacher glared at the whole room. “But it was singing in particular.”

The class was shocked. 

“Nero was an Emperor of Rome who was known for allegedly playing the violin as Rome burned to the ground. Which, of course, isn’t possible since the violin wasn’t invented yet. It’s more likely that he played a harp or similar instrument. But, regardless, he was well known for his musical ability, and loved to lord it over others. He added it to the Olympics while he was Emperor because he felt he deserved a medal, but wasn’t physically fit.”

~She actually knows about Nero?~

~But he’s a weird old Roman dude?~

~I guess she learned something while sucking dicks.~

Morgana’s paw slipped out to the edge of the desk to sit on her hand once more. “That was incredible.” smile earnest, even as the eyes looked sad.

She gave a quiet nod to the cat.

“Hey, doesn’t that Nero guy remind you of someone?” Morgana whispered, trying to get her to focus on other things.

“That fucking bastard,” she all but breathed, “changing the whole game halfway through because he felt he got dealt a hand that might not win.”

“But he’s gone now.”

“Hell yeah.” 

The anxiety on her face from the negative comments from her peers was gone, once again replaced with the joy from the reminder that Kamoshida was gone.

\---

The school bell rang and she let herself casually walk towards the library, so glad to not be in a rush for once. 

“So, Mona, don’t get out of the bag, but I have a surprise for you.”

“Really?” the meows were muffled by the fabric of the bag.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a bit, but with the… atmosphere… of the school, I haven’t been able to justify it. But, I saw a book while I was here with Ryu last time that I think we can read together.”

She can feel his tail wagging and slamming into her side through the bag.

“It’s a book about Zorro!”

“Please hurry home.” Was the only response from her feline companion.

She chuckled in response as she picked up the book in question and hurried to check it out for Morgana.

On her way out of the library, as she was slipping the book into the bag for Morgana, she spotted Ryuji standing in the hallway awkwardly looking towards her classroom.

_Was he looking for me?_

Curious, she approached him, sneaking forward and weaving between the other students until she was right behind him.

“Looking for someone?” She leaned over his shoulder.

He shouted in surprise as he spun around, giving her a static shock as he started to reach for where his pipe usually was. He finally calmed down after recognizing Akira.

“Kira, what the heck? You gave me a heart attack.” he exhaled deeply.

“Sorry, Ryu. Just wanted to surprise you.” She nervously grinned.

“Don’t worry, you surprised me.” he replied flatly, “Not that I mind!” he became frantic as he noticed Akira pout.

She beamed once more, only to have her face fall again as the gossip mill overtook them. 

~ Look at them. Disgusting. ~

~ The whore and the punk. Of course. ~

~ Ryu? Kira? So familiar. They have to be fucking. ~

~ I wonder if he’s her pimp. ~

He threw his arm over her shoulders, “Hey, let’s go.”

She silently allowed him to direct her.

\---

She didn’t really say anything the entire way home, much to Ryuji’s dismay.

But she let him keep his arm around her, which means she’s not entirely gone. Just… not talkative.

“Hey,” he finally decided to break the silence at Shibuya, “let’s do something. You and me. That sound good?”

He spun around her so he was in front of her face, looking directly into her eyes, excited smirk on his face.

She furrowed her brows at his excitement, trying to glean the legitimacy of it, beforeher face relaxed into a small, but sure, smile.

“Any ideas what you want to do?” He grinned, grabbing both of her hands at the smile.

Her smile grew a bit bigger at his enthusiasm, before she stopped to bite her lip. She looked around before looking longingly at the train that head back to Leblanc.

“Do you just want to hang out around Yongen-Jaya? In case you get too tired? It’s been a long week, that makes sense.” Ryuji filled in for her.

“Yes. Please.” She whispered.

“Then that’s what we’ll do! That sounds great to me.” He grabbed her wrist and led them off towards Yongen-Jaya.

\---

They walk, hand in hand, towards Leblanc when Akira freezes for a moment.

“What is it?” Ryuji turned back to her once he realized that she wasn’t walking with him anymore.

“That might be a good thing to pick up.” She gestured the big old CRT TV and game system in the second hand shop.

Ryuji’s face lit up, “That would be amazing! And I can help you get it home so we can play immediately!”

The small smile that she had kept since Ryuji announced his plan to hang out with her was growing once more. “That would be fun.” she mused to herself.

“Yeah!” He approached the game system, “And it looks like it comes with some games, you want to do this today? It’d be pretty low energy, which I know is what you want.” He rambled slightly, facing going slightly pink.

“That sounds perfect. Thank you, Ryu.”

His face went fully red as he spun and tried to get the attention of the shop keep. Once the elderly man had walked over to them, Ryuji was talking animatedly to him while Akira was quietly shuffling through the stack of games with the system.

After a few minutes, he bounded back over to Akira, beaming at her as he started to pick up the television.

“What? You already got it?” Akira replied, startled.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve gotten it all taken care of, can you grab the game system and the games? That way you can grab the door.” he huffed as he tried to figure out the right spots for his hands to go.

“Sure?” Too confused to truly reply, she returned the Goemon game back to the pile in front of her and grabbed the entire box, resting it on her hip so she could help to direct Ryuji.

Thankfully, Leblanc was rather close, so she was able to bolt ahead and open the door, holding it so Ryuji could get through.

“Welcome back, Akir...a…?” Sojiro trailed off as he saw Ryuji and the TV.

“Sorry! I decided to pick this up on the way home. Ryuji decided to help out!” she dashed past the counter, devoid of guests, and stood on the first landing of the stairs, ready to call out instructions to Ryuji.

“Hello, Mr. Sakura. I’d…” he took a deep breath as he repositioned his fingers, “I’d love to say hi, but let me put this upstairs first.”

Sojiro paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes, “Yeah. That sounds good. Come back down one you get that on her table, I’ll make you some drinks, and I don’t know what you’d like. Akira can start to get that figured out while you get the drinks.”

Ryuji gulped, hearing the undertone.

“I can grab our drinks, Boss!” Akira called out, oblivious.

“No, no. I’ll get them. I wanna hear the full menu, and I want you to figure out what you want to play first. I’ll… I’ll get them.” he struggled to get out as he reached the bottom stair.

Sojiro’s focused stare turned into a smirk, “That sounds just about right. Looking forward to it.”

Ryuji gulped once more as Sojiro gave out a chuckle.

\---

  


The pair made their way up the stairs, Akira guiding Ryuji as well as she could. A few minutes later, a thump could be heard from upstairs as the tv was placed on the table as carefully as the boy’s exhuasted hands were able.

Sojiro winced slightly at the sound. _I forgot how heavy old TVs were._

But, knowing that they were done with that, Sojiro got to starting to make Akira’s drink. The boy should come downstairs in a moment to for their chat.

He sighed for a moment while he pulled the shot. _I don’t want to scare the kid. I know he’s been good for her, as a friends, and probably as more. I just… I just want to make sure he understands the situation that she’s in. With her probation._

Ryuji’s feet could be heard on the stairs coming back down as Sojiro was tamping the shot. The kid’s head came into view right as he was pressing down, he couldn’t help but chuckle watching the kid gulp once more. _He must really be terrified that I’m gonna try telling him no._

And then he froze for a moment before he moved on in the drink making process.

_He is_ ** _really_** _terrified that I’m gonna do something. Why would he be that scared of me? Is it just because he really likes her, or…._

Ryuji got to the bottom of the stairs and slowly made his way to the counter, walking carefully and not showing his back to the counter.

_Oh. Shit._

Sojiro winced as he saw Ryuji’s careful approach. _Just like Futaba._

_Akira had told me something like this. Dammit._

He sighed before opening his mouth, “You like coffee?”

“Not… really?” The boy blinked a few times.

“Tea or soda?”

“Soda if you got it.” Kid was still on edge, but trying.

He turned and grabbed the drink from the fridge before leaning against the counter, sighing once more.

“I… I don’t mean to stress you out with this talk.” Sojiro started. “Sorry if I came off strong, I just kinda wanted to do the scary dad thing, and then realized that’s not really my style.”

The kid’s face was entirely in shock.

“Just sit down, kid. I did have some stuff I wanted to talk to you about away from Akira though.” Recoiled once more. “Nothing against you, I promise. There’s just some things about Akira’s situation you should know about.”

“O….kay?” Ryuji was slowly sinking into one of the booths.

_Far enough away to run or hide._ He noticed.

“So, am I wrong in guessing that you and Akira are either already dating or about to be?”

_Man, that kid could blush._

“I… I… was hoping to ask her out this week. Maybe… maybe even today?” He managed to mumble out.

“Good.”

“What?”

“Good.” He smiled. “I think you two would be good for each other.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re all she’s ever really been able to talk about. She’s talked about your other friend… Ann?... but mostly you. And how nice you are, how much you guys have in common, how much you’ve been there for her. You’re good to her.”

The boy looked like it was Christmas morning.

“Just make sure you stay good for her. And, if you start to think that you’re no longer good for her, that you end it before you become _bad_ for her.” He let himself do a slight bit of that Dad Glare (™) that he had wanted to do earlier.

“Yes, Sir!” The kid sat straight in his chair. “Is that all, Sir?”

“No. Sorry, kid.” He chuckled slightly at the kid’s flump back into his seat. “Now for the less fun stuff. I’ll say it quickly so Akira doesn’t start to wonder what’s taking you so long.”

A nod.

“So, you’re aware that Akira was arrested falsely due to an accusation of prostitution, right?”

“Yes. She told me that.”

“Good. Well, there are… _restrictions…_ that the principal of your school put in place for Akira. Including dating.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. She technically isn’t support to be, 'found cavorting or messing around with any of the student body' or some garbage like that.” Sojiro looked to the side, still pissed off by the arrogant principal. “So, you have to be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t get caught, idiot. I’m fine with it, but you can’t go about showing off your relationship. Especially not so quickly into the school year. If so, Akira might be the one who gets in trouble. I know it’s a legitimate relationship, but there’s a good chance Mr. Eggman might decide it’s another of Akira’s supposed 'business transactions' or something like that.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sojiro heard the kid mutter. He only nodded in response.

“So, yeah. That’s what I wanted to let you know. So, you understand what’s going on and are careful. I don’t want Akira to break her probation just because she finally is happy. So, uh, go up now with her drink.” Sojiro awkwardly wrapped up quickly, plonking the latte for Akira down on the counter.

“Uh... “ Ryuji bit his lip, “Thanks for the heads up, Sir. I uh… I’ll take these upstairs now.”

“Good. And one last thing…” he said as Ryuji turned to the stairs, finally willing to show him his back, “Don’t be dumb. Don’t make a lifelong mistake because you’re a horny teen. And don’t freaking let me hear anything.”

The boy all but sprinted up the stairs, entire body red.

_At least I got to do Dad Speak™ then._

He went back to organizing the fridge.

\---

Akira turned to see Ryuji hustling up the stairs, drink in each hand, and red all the way down to his toes. Behind her, the sound of the window closing itself with the press of a paw.

“What you end up getting, Ryu?”

Barely whispered, “An ‘effing headache,” he lifted his head to meet her eyes, “He had some of my favorite soda!”

She gave herself a moment to look at him quizzically before shaking her head and grabbing the latte from him. “Boss is so kind, he remembers all of my favorites.”

Once again, she heard Ryuji murmur under his breath, “You’re freaking right he does.”

She made a little noise of confusion as he awkwardly rushed to open his soda, the sound of the fizz covering him clearing his throat. “So, uh, let’s finish setting up this tv.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Ummm…” he organized the wires for the tv and game system before starting to plug them in, “What, uh, what game did you choose?”

“This one!” she pulled out Train of Life from the box, “I played the board game version of this a lot growing up, and felt it would be a nice way to unwind from yesterday.”

“That sounds great! Let me just get this sorted out. I’m almost done.” he called from behind the TV, with a set of red, yellow, and white wires draped across his shoulders.

She sat on the bed, dangling her feet over the edge while waiting for him. After a moment of thought, she finally asked him, “So what did Boss want to talk to you about?”

He turned crimson once more, “Nothing!”

“Don’t give me that crap,” she rolled her eyes, “You were down there longer than just getting a soda, plus… you’ve been weirdly dodgy and twitchy since coming back up.”

“Dammit.” she heard him curse under his breath, “We had, like, guy talk.” he bit his lip.

“Guy talk? You and… Boss? Really?”

“I know you’ve told him about my dad, and, so,” he looked away for a moment awkwardly, “he wanted to talk about guy shit. Taking care of you, people I like, that shit.” He walked over to the bed with both controllers in hand. “Game’s ready.”

“Thanks!” She grabbed the controller and started navigating through the menus. “No Computers, right?”

“Yeah, let’s not.”

The game started with Ryuji still stiff as a board and Akira continuously giving him looks.

After Akira had gotten her post college job in the game, she finally sighed and went for it, “So, you said that you guys talked about guy stuff? And it had to do with who you like _and_ taking care of me? What’re you trying to say there?”

Ryuji paused the game and looked away from her, still tense as shit, and took a deep breath. “What do you _think_ I’m trying to say?” he bit out, dropping his controller.

Her jaw dropped as she watched him dissolve this bitter face for a much, much more emotional one.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.” he slapped his hand across his mouth. “I’m.. I’m bad at this.”

“Bad at what?” voice tentative.

“Expressing myself. I accidentally just slipped into what Dad would do, and that’s why I feel so unsure. I don’t think I deserve this at all.”

“Deserve what?” This was like pulling teeth.

He looked up at her, eyes swarming with guilt, before unleashing a verbal avalanche, “So, like, Mr. Sojiro asked me to go downstairs because he noticed that I liked you and he was sure you liked me, and so he wanted me to know that he was okay with us dating, and also tell me about all the legal stipulations you have with your bullshit record. And was telling me about how good I was for you. But that really stressed me out, because I’ve never been called good by anyone other than my mother until you came into my life, and so I’m super stressed out. Like, what if you guys are wrong, and everyone else is right? What if I’m actually stupid, and violent, and all that bullshit? What if I end up being like my Dad? I can’t have that happen to you. So, like, while I was really happy to hear that Mr. Sojiro thinks I’d be a good match for you, now I’m super anxious. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and like, I don’t deserve you, and you sure as hell don’t deserve a deadbeat like me. And so, that’s why I snapped at you right there, because I was so anxious that I’m actually a piece of trash just like my Dad, and I didn’t want to bring up the topic. Even though I _was_ planning on asking you out today, but now I’m not, because if I _do_ end up like my Dad, you deserve much better than that. I can’t be the one causing you more pain, you already have so much. I don’t _think_ that I would, I _never_ want to, but I’m too scared.”

His hands are balled up into her sheets, tears streaming.

Akira takes a few breaths, blows so air out to the side while parsing all of that.

“So. You think that, because you snapped at me one time due to me pushing you about a slightly embarrassing conversation, that you’re now your father? Even though you literally faced death for me about like 10 times this past week? Even though our first meeting was you helping me through a panic attack? That that one snap negates the fact that you’ve become my best friend? My rock? The person I look to first for help? That I’ve talked about to my guardian so much about that he feels like he knows you well enough to make that judgement?”

“Well… uhhh…. I don’t know.”

“You said you were going to ask me out?”

“Yeah… but…”

“How about you leave it to me to decide if you’re worthy of dating me, instead of putting yourself down?”

“But what about…?”

“Boss and I have a good eye for red flag behavior, I’ll let you know if either of us picks up on some learned traits from your dad. I get it,” she placed her hand on Ryuji's, “you’ve had a lot of bullshit go on, you’re nervous. You’re scared that you picked up some of the bullshit. And you’re worried about how much of the shit they’re saying about you is true, but… let me ask you this…”

“Yeah?” hope filled his eyes.

“You know what they’re saying about me at school, no thanks to Kamoshida. Are any of the rumors they’re spreading about me correct? Am I a whore? Are you my pimp? Do I get good grades due to being on my knees?”

“Of course not!” he gripped her hand back tightly, hackles raised at the mere thought of those rumors.

“So… why are you putting any stock in the ones about you?”

He blinked in response.

“Kamoshida was the base of those rumors too. He spread those after he realized you were a threat. You should put the same amount of stock in them as you do the ones about me or Ann.”

He nodded.

“So, you wanna try that all again? What did you talk to Boss about?” she prodded for the last time.

He steeled himself before standing up, removing Akira’s hand from his. He paced the room a few times to collect himself before turning back to her. 

“I… I… I really like you. I’ve found you amazing and courageous and inspirational since the first day we met, in that freaking weird dungeon castle, hell, under that awning on the sidewalk. Since that meeting, I’ve barely wanted to be away from you. I told myself for the first few days it was because you were the only person who didn’t actively shit on me or because you gave me the ability to actually do something interesting for the first time ever. But, I realized it’s because I really, really like you; I think you’re cute, and funny, and exciting to talk to. And now that I’ve realized that, I can’t stop realizing it. You’ve given me the courage to finally stand up for myself, and bravery to fight my own battles. And, well… Now I am going to be using your courage once again to ask you out.” 

He took a final deep breath before grabbing both of Akira’s hands.

“Akira, will you go out with me?”

She beamed as she squeezed his hands, “I’d love to.”

He shared her beaming smile until he suddenly folded over on himself, dropping her hands.

“Are you okay?” she gasped.

A long exhale from Ryuji as he stood himself back up. “I’m fine. Promise. I just… woooooooooo. I’m exhausted.”

She laughed.

“That was _nerve wracking!_ ” he sputtered at her.

“How? We’ve been holding hands all week!”

“Yeah, so? What if that wasn’t _I want to date_ hand holding?”

“What other type of hand holding is there!”

“If you think it’s so ‘not a big deal’ then maybe _you_ should try it!”

“Aight! Ryuji! Date me!” she stood akimbo and barked at him.

“Shuddup! You already know my answer!” he howled.

“You told me to try it! Unless you want me to ask out someone else? You need me to call Ann?”

“No! Don’t!” he wailed.

“Well then, answer me!” she yelled.

“Of course I’ll date you!” he returned with equal energy.

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO NOT HAVE ME HEAR ANY OF YOUR BULLSHIT!” Sojiro’s voice echoed up from under them.

Ryuji flopped onto the bed, laughing behind his hand.

“What is he talking about?” Akira whispered to him, flopping next to him.

“It’s really awkward... “

“Do I have to go ask him?”

“Okay! So!” he jumped into the explanation, much to Akira’s entertainment, “He, you know, said he was cool with the relationship, right?”

“Yeah?”

“And then he went on to tell me to ‘not make a lifelong mistake because I’m a horny teen’ and to ‘not let him hear anything.’” his face was once again tomato red.

“Oh nooooo…. He didn’t….”

“Yeah.”

A small whining sound was eminating from Akira, who had covered her entire blushing face with her arms.

“Hey, hey.” Ryuji rolled to face her and propped himself up on his elbow. “None of this now. It’s weird, yeah… but at least you know he’s not gonna give you shit about things.”

She peeked through her fingers. 

“Did you know that you’re cute when you blush?”

The rosy pink evolved into a strong tomato blush as she rolled and his in his chest. He grinned as he wrapped his free arm around her head. 

They were content to just stay there for a few minutes until Ryuji looked at the time.

“So, I promised my Ma that I’d help her with dinner tonight. So, you okay with finishing our game and then me heading out? Or do you not want to play anymore?”

She burrowed her head out of his chest and looked up at him, “Let’s finish the game, it’ll help me calm down before I have to face Boss again.”

“That makes sense.” He grinned at her, before breathing in suddenly and then leaning forward to gently press his lips against her forehead.

She gasped.

“I’ve always wanted to do that.” he quietly chuckled to himself.

There was a sudden **crack** in Akira’s head.

**_A chain has been broken. The Chariot has removed another bond that is keeping us back._ **

Akira couldn’t suppress the slight grin as the feeling of weightlessness took her over once more.

**_About time. I was worried I’d have to have a talk with Kidd._ **

**Shh… Wait, you guys talk?**

**_Of course, what do you think we do all day? Now, get back to your suitor._ **

“What you thinking about?” Ryuji looked down at her, still hugging her.

“You make my soul feel lighter.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“It’s true each time.”

“I wish I understood.”

“I’ll explain it to you once I get it.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Feel free to hold me up to most things.”

His face flared up red as she reached for their dropped controllers, throwing his at him before he could fully react to that.

“Good luck beating me with your salary! Mine is twice yours!”

“Well, good luck feeding your 6 children with all of those expense spots on this board.”

They shared a laugh again before settling into playing. This time with Akira leaning into Ryuji as the turns went by. 

Akira won.

\---

After a slightly awkward hug, Ryuji made his way downstairs with his stuff.

He stopped for a moment at the counter on his way out and waited for Sojiro to look at him.

“Sorry if we were loud.”

“It’s fine kid. You kids were just joking with each other. But, please keep it in mind for the future. I was open. Thankfully didn’t have anyone in just then, but I could have, and that would have been bad. Just… keep it in mind.” Sojiro sighed.

“Thanks, Sir.”

“It’s alright kid. I’m glad it apparently went well.”

Ryuji awkwardly scratched the back of his head, “Yeah.”

“Good.” Sojiro gave a sincere smile.

“Thank you again, Sir. I’m going to hep my mother make dinner now. Have a good evening!” He scuttled his way out of the cafe.

Sojiro hummed to himself, “Good kid.”

He noticed the time and started to prepare for the evening crowd. This was one of the few days of the week that he knew he would have a large group of people in the evening. 

He started trying to figure out how much coffee he should make when Akira made her way downstairs.

“So, I heard you and Ryuji are now a couple?”

She flushed up completely, “You know the answer.”

“Well, yes. But I wanted to ask.”

“Yes, yes we are.”

“And are you happy about that?”

“Yes.” A lot surer this time.

“Good.”

She sat at the counter after a moment of thought and tapped on the wood.

“Yes?”

She snapped to attention. “Sorry, sorry. I was just trying to think of what to do tonight.”

“I know Ryuji went home, but Ann isn’t free?”

“She’s having dinner with Suzui’s family.”

“Ah.” He tapered off for a moment. “Well, the evening crowd is about to come in, wanna help out?”

“You’d let me?”

“I won’t have anyone who lives under my roof not know how to at least brew a decent cup of coffee.”

She leapt out of her seat, “Yes, Boss!”

“Good, now let me find you an apron.” he made his way to the other side of the counter and started searching through the closet as Akira buzzed in excitement behind him.

“Here you go!” he tossed the green fabric at her head. He quirked an eyebrow when she managed to catch it.

“Thank you, Boss!”

“Thank me after I teach you the basics. Now, I’ll show you some things in between guests, but I’m mostly gonna be having you help with dish washing or taking orders out tonight. Some of the regulars can be… particular about their order.”

She jokingly saluted, “Yessir!”

“You smarmy child.” he deadpanned, fighting the urge to smile.

\---

A few guests in, Akira finally had a moment to learn how to make drinks.

“So, as I’m sure you were watching, we get the espresso beans from here.” he tapped the side of the grinder. “Now, I’m gonna show you how to make your latte. That way, while you’re learning proper technique, it’ll at least be your drink so you can drink your mess ups.”

She peered over his shoulder, entranced by the promise of making her favorite drink.

“You’ll want to fill the shot up to about here.” he gestured to the top of the device in his hand before pulling the lever to grind the beans.

“Now that you have it here, you’re gonna grab this thing, the tamper, and tamp this down. That means push as hard as you can.” he answered before she could interject. “And make sure the espresso reaches this line here. That’s the goal here. But make sure you don’t go over either, otherwise it becomes too much. It’s a science you’ll have to figure out and feel out.”

He leaned his whole body into the tamper and twisted.

“Now, you’ll put this in the espresso machine. Make sure you pull _hard_ when you turn it, otherwise it won’t lock. But, we don’t pull the shot yet. Do you know why?”

“Because otherwise the shot will go bad?” She cautiously answered.

“Yes! Not just because it would get cold, but because an espresso shot only last a few seconds before it goes bad. It’s like over stewed tea, and how it tastes bitter. It goes bitter after just a few seconds. So, you gotta have everything else ready and throw it in as the absolute last thing.”

She was nodding and mouthing the words back to herself.

_Good, she’s taking it seriously._

“Now do I get to learn how to foam milk?” 

“Yes that is what’s next.” he grinned at her excitement.

_This is turning out better than I had hoped._

\---

At the end of the night, the two of them were cleaning quietly side by side.

“You did well tonight.” he broke the silence.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I know it may not have been too exciting for you, but you did well. You seemed to be absorbing what I was telling you, and you did well at keeping the cafe clean.”

“Thank you so much, Boss!”

He sucked in air at her sincere gratitude. 

“Are you…. Are you adapting okay?”

“Yeah. I have Ryuji and Ann. And Kawakami has been doing a great job at looking out for us.”

“That’s… that’s good to hear.” he replied softly.

“Yeah! Today was a great day!”

“How so?” he snorted.

“Well, I got to learn how to make my favorite drink, Ryuji asked me out, and Kamoshida put himself on leave. Today is like the best day!” she cheered to herself.

“Kamoshida put himself on leave?” He spit out his drink.

“Yeah! Kawakami said it was all of the sudden. But I think the pressure finally got to him.” she was very sure of herself.

“Pressure?”

“Oh yeah, some kids decided to make signs threatening to come forward about what he’s been doing, so I think he folded or something.” she was staring very intently at the counter she was scrubbing.

“Was it you?”

“Uh… no. I mean. I think some of the volleyball kids in my class may have overheard us talking about our legal case. And, well, you know that we got Mishima to testify, and he was on the team. So, I bet they banded together as a sort of strike. I don’t know. The signs were anonymous.” she rambled for a moment, working _very_ hard to get some melted sugar off the counter.

He watched her for a moment, eyes narrowed, until he sighed. “Regardless of what caused it, I’m just glad he’s no longer shadowing you at school. I almost considered pulling you out until this was all done with how it’s been escalating.”

“I’m so grateful too. Today was the least stressful day of school so far, and it’s because he wasn’t there!”

His face fell. _A kid shouldn’t have a teacher have that much control over her life._

“I’m glad you’re doing well.” was all he was able to vocalize.

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me.” she turned to him with a small but strong smile.

He went to match it, “Thank you for trusting me.”

They held the moment for a few seconds before he turned to survey the cafe.

“You did well, Kid. I think we’ve got this all cleaned up. You’re free to go.” he started to untie his apron. “You, uh, let me know if you want to help out again in the future. I’ll gladly show you some more stuff.” 

“I’d love to!” was her immediate response before she stumbled for a nanosecond.

\---

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast begun upon the path of the Hierophant._ **

**Him too?**

**_Yes. He is your guardian and guide. It is only logical._ **

**I’ll take your word for it.**

\---

“You okay, kid?”

“Yep!” she laughed, “Just tripped over nothing. It happens to everyone, don’t it?”

He sighed, he forgot how much of a kid she still was. She might be dealing with things well beyond her years, but she was still just a kid.

“Well, you seem exhausted if you’re starting to trip on nothing. Hang up your apron and get on up to bed. Text your boyfriend or something. Just go rest. I’m still watching you for sickness.”

She gave one last mock salute, “Yessir!” 

He laughed to himself watching her scamper up the stairs before leaving the shop, flipping the sign behind him.

_She’s a good kid. Who’d she piss off so badly that she got sent out here?_

\---

**Ryu: Got home safe!**

**Ryu: Let me know how coffee making goes!**

**Ryu: Mom is happy to hear about things.**

**Ryu: Maybe you’ll be able to meet her soon?**

**Kira: Hey!**

**Kira: Just got done helping out!**

**Kira: It was a ton of fun!**

**Kira: But I’m super tired.**

**Ryu: That’s good!**

**Kira: I may have totally lied though about the calling cards**

**Ryu: What????**

**Kira: He asked about them, and I lied!**

**Kira: I said that I thought the VB team made them**

**Kira: After Mishima agreed to help us with the case**

**Kira: and that’s what caused Kamoshida to go on leave**

**Ryu: holy shit**

**Ryu: that’s**

**Ryu: I mean, I guess it works if you wanna keep quiet.**

**Kira: I do**

**Kira: I really do**

**Kira: Because I know he won’t just accept that at face value**

**Kira: because, you know, he’s helping us make the case**

**Kira: so he KNOWS that Kamoshida wouldn’t just stop because we threatened to fight.**

**Kira: and then I’d have to explain the alternate world**

**Kira: no thank**

**Ryu: valid**

**Kira: But it was good!**

**Kira: And I had fun with you!**

**Kira: and today’s probably been the best day since I’ve come here!**

**Ryu: !!!**

**Ryu: Really?**

**Kira: Because of youuuuuuuuuuuuu**

**Ryu: !!!!!**

**Kira: I hate to cut this short.**

**Kira: But I am dead tired.**

**Kira: Emotional whiplash AND working a job**

**Kira: am tired.**

**Ryu: I went for a long run after dinner.**

**Ryu: So I am also v tired.**

**Ryu: Goodnight! <3**

**Kira: !!! Goodnight! <3**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter! I’m sorry for the long wait once more. This month has been a bit of a downer recently, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to get myself into a good enough mood to write the confession scene… So I just… put it off. And finally, I forced myself to write it today. Which is why you’re getting this! Yay! It’s not as fluffy as I had imagined it in my head, but instead it’s full of character development and issues to work on in his confidant in the future. SO, I don’t think it’s a loss! I had a ton of fun writing it though, when I got to Ryuji’s rambling my hands were just flying off the keyboard, just about how fast I imagine that Ryuji was talking. It was pretty cool. A nice reminder to me that I’m much more of a ‘seat of the pants’ writer because I listen a lot to the characters.
> 
> Please let me know how you guys liked it! I know it seems like a cliche thing, but comments really do motivate me to keep writing this. I only got around to writing today because I got a comment on this fic. So, yeah. Please leave comments, they encourage me and remind me that people do like this and are looking forward to more.
> 
> I meant for this to be short. It was 30 pages instead. whomp.
> 
> <3 you all.


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